[Characteristics of pediatric tuberculosis].

Any tuberculosis of the child must be treated, whether it is a latent or a tuberculosis-disease. The treatment of pediatric tuberculosis is the same as the one for adults. The latter consists in a combination of several antimycobacterial drugs taken simultaneously per os in a single intake in the morning while fasting. The major problem is observance. Mediastinopulmonary tuberculosis: the treatment is six months long with in the first two months a combination of isoniazide (INH) 5 to 10 mg/kg per day, rifampicine (RMP) 10 to 20 mg/kg per day, and pyrazinamide (PZA) 20 to 30 mg/kg per day. The addition of ethambutol (EMB) 15 to 25 mg/kg per day is discussed. The four following months, the combination of INH and RMP is continued with the same dosage. The goal of treatment for tuberculosis-infection in the child is to prevent the appearance of tuberculosis-disease. INH in monotherapy for 12 months was first suggested. It allowed an 80% reduction of risk for ten years compared to a placebo group. In order to prevent the risks of failure related to a primary resistance to INH and to reduce the duration of treatment, a bitherapy (INH + RMP) has been proposed for six months. A recent study determines the efficiency of a three-month bitherapy.