The risk factors associated with tuberculosis in children

Introduction: tuberculosis is a common and often life threatening disease in pakistani children. objective: to determine the risk factors associated with tuberculosis in children. methods and materials: this case control study was conducted in the pediatric medicine department,civil hospital,bahawalpur from april 1,2015 to september 10,2015. case was defined as a patient having age less than 14 years who presented in outpatient department or was admitted in pediatric medicine department,civil hospital,bahawalpur and diagnosed as having tuberculosis while control was defined as a patient less than 14 years admitted in pediatric unit or seen in opd who was not suffering from tuberculosis. results: one hundred cases were compared with same number of controls. bcg vaccination,socioeconomic status,nutritional status,history of contact exposure,recent history of measles or whooping cough,education status of parents,area of living,overcrowding and history of smoking in household were significantly (p<0.05) associated with tuberculosis. conclusion: effective strategies for prevention of tuberculosis in children include vaccination coverage,improved nutritional status,improved living conditions,improved education status of mothers and treatment and control of tuberculous patients in household. © 2016,pakistan pediatric journal. all rights reserved.