PULMONARY TB IN ADOLESCENTS AS THE ISSUE OF THE DISEASE DETECTION IN CHILDHOOD

Aim: to identify risk factors for chronic primary TB or TB reactivation after “spontaneous” cure in order to prevent the development of secondary TB at the prepubertal age or adolescence. Materials and methods. We studied 90 case histories of patients aged 13–17 years old who received treatment for secondary TB. Results. We identified risk factors for the development of secondary TB in patients with chronic primary TB or after “spontaneous” cure: duration of exposure to TB infection, patient age, epidemiology of foci, and skin test results. The signs of primary TB after its “spontaneous” cure were detected in 26.6% of patients. Patients of the prepubertal age (13–14 years old) prevailed – 87.5%, the share of adolescents (15–17 years old) reached 12.5%. We established that long-term (more than 2 years) exposure to TB infection was associated with high probability of the development of secondary TB in patients after “spontaneous” cure if dispensary follow-up was inadequate. The other predictors of such a scenario might be positive RTA test results for over 1–2 years before the diagnosis of active TB in the prepubertal or adolescent age. Conclusion. “Spontaneous” cure of primary TB in children does not witness dormancy of detected pathology, but indicates highly possible reactivation of TB with the development of secondary TB, predominantly at the prepubertal age.