[Epidemiology of tuberculosis in children under 15 years of age in the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, 1984].

Reported cases of tuberculosis in minors under fifteen years old in S. Paulo County, State of S. Paulo, Brazil, are analyzed. The Health Information Center of the Health Secretariat of the State of S. Paulo was notified of the diagnosis in all cases which occurred in 1984. The medical records were analyzed and the physicians in charge of the reports interviewed. Among the population studied the annual notification rate was 21.4/100,000 for minors under fifteen with largest incidence (31.8/100,000) for those under fifteen years old. Significant discrepancies between the various regions were observed. Pulmonary tuberculosis was by far the most predominant form of the disease (83.1% and 17.8/100,000). Pulmonary tuberculosis associated with extrapulmonary cases accounts for 4.7% of all the cases (1.100,000). Extrapulmonary cases (2.5/100,000) accounted for 12.2% of all reports. Also, a significant coefficient (1/100,000) was observed for meningitis (isolated or associated), equivalent to 4.9% of all cases. Nearly 35.7% (46 cases) of the lung material analysed revealed BK+. Of the extrapulmonary material analysed sixteen cases (53.3%) of them were BK+. The incidence of positive sputum smear cases was 0.9/100,000 inhab., being greater in the age group 10-14 (2.8/100,000 inhab).