Table 1.
Cohort characteristics overall and by international consensus diagnostic category (20), in children presenting with suspected tuberculosis (N= 379).
| Characteristic | All children | Confirmed TB | Unconfirmed TB | Unlikely TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N=379 (100%) | N=73 | N=185 | N=121 | |
| Age, months: median (IQR) | 15.7 (9.2-29.4) | 19.1 (10.9-44.0) | 16.0 (9.6-28.3) | 13.3 (6.2-25.7) |
| Male (%) | 195 (51.5) | 27 (37.0) | 105 (56.8) | 63 (52.1) |
| Ethnicity: | ||||
| Mixed race (%) | 215 (56.7) | 42 (57.5) | 111 (60.0) | 62 (51.2) |
| Black African (%) | 163 (43.0) | 31 (42.5) | 73 (39.5) | 59 (48.8) |
| Caucasian (%) | 1 (0.3) | 0 | 1 (0.5) | 0 |
| Perinatal HIV exposure (%) | 105 (27.7) | 18 (24.7) | 54 (29.2) | 33 (27.3) |
| HIV-infected (%) | 51 (13.5) | 8 (11.0) | 30 (16.2) | 13 (10.7) |
| On ART at presentation (%) | 22 (43.1) | 4 (50.0) | 14 (46.7) | 4 (30.8) |
| Previous TB treatment (%) | 27 (7.1) | 4 (5.5) | 18 (9.7) | 5 (4.1) |
| Intrathoracic (%) | 19 (70.4) | 2 | 13 | 4 |
| Extrathoracic/disseminated (%) | 5 (18.5) | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Unknown site of TB (%) | 3 (11.1) | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Completed previous TB treatment* (%) | 24 (88.9) [n=27] | 4 (100) [n=4] | 15 (83.3) [n=18] | 5 (100) [n=5] |
| WAZ, median (IQR) | -1.8 (-2.9 to -0.7) | -1.7 (-2.9 to -0.7) | -2.2 (-3.2 to -0.9) | -1.4 (-2.1 to -0.7) |
| HAZ, median (IQR) | -1.7 (-2.9 to -0.7) | -1.7 (-2.8 to -0.6) | -2 (-3.1 to -0.9) | -1.4 (-2.5 to -0.5) |
| WAZ<-2 (%) | 168 (44.3) | 31 (42.5) | 103 (55.7) | 34 (28.1) |
| Evidence of BCG immunization** (%) | 360 (95.0) | 65 (89.0) | 178 (96.2) | 117 (96.7) |
| ≥1 well-defined TB symptom (20) (%) | 310 (81.8) | 66 (90.4) | 169 (91.4) | 75 (62.0) |
| TST positive# (%) | 82 (28.0) [n=293] | 39 (72.2) [n=54] | 38 (26.2) [n=145] | 5 (5.3) [n=94] |
| Exposure to identified TB source case (%) | 214 (56.5) | 51 (69.9) | 141 (76.1) | 22 (18.2) |
| CXR suggestive of TB§ (%) | 105 (28.3) [n=371] | 51 (71.8) [n=71] | 47 (25.7) [n=183] | 7 (6.0) [n=117] |
| Treated for TB (%) | 170 (44.9) | 73 (100) | 69 (37.3) | 28 (23.1) |
ART: antiretroviral therapy; WAZ: weight-for-age Z-score according to UK growth charts 1990; HAZ: height-for-age Z-score according to UK growth charts 1990; BCG: bacille Calmette-Guerin; TST: tuberculin skin test; CXR: chest radiograph.
3 children had missing/incomplete records of the reported previous TB episode, so site of TB and treatment outcome could not be determined;
Either documented BCG vaccination in the Road To Health Card or BCG scar present;
≥10mm if HIV-negative and BCG vaccinated, ≥5mm if HIV-positive or not BCG vaccinated;
As determined retrospectively by 2 independent expert readers.