Abstract

LOPES, Agnaldo José et al. Characteristics of tuberculosis in adolescents: a contribution to the tuberculosis control program. Rev. Bras. Pneumol. Sanit. [online]. 2007, vol.15, n.1, pp.7-14. ISSN 1982-3258.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the demographic, clinical and laboratorial characteristics of tuberculosis-disease's presentation in adolescents/young adults and compare them with those observed in adults. METHODS: In this study, a group of 203 patients with tuberculosis was analyzed, from which 77 were adolescents/young adults (group A) and 126 adults (group B). Some variables have been collected such as gender, clinical presentation, sputum examination, tuberculinic skin test, anti-HIV sorology and follow-up. RESULTS: In both groups, tuberculosis was more prevalent at the male gender (62.3% and 50.8% of the patients from groups A and B, respectively, with p>0.05). The pulmonary form was the most frequent one in both groups and has been diagnosed in 79.2% of the individuals of group A and in 78.6% of the group B (p>0.05). Among the extrapulmonary forms of this disease, the pleural one was more common in individuals of group A (87.5% versus 51.9%, with p<0.05). There has not been significative difference between the groups, according to the results of the complementary exams. The favorable and unfavorable upshots were equal and it is similar both goups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The characteristics of tuberculosis were similar in both groups, except for the major frequency of pleural tuberculosis in group A.

Keywords : Tuberculosis; adolescents; adults.

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