Tuberculosis in children and its management.

Children with tuberculosis (TB) in the United States are generally asymptomatic, 60% are under 5 years, 80% belong to racial/ethnic minorities or are foreign born, and most are diagnosed during the investigation of contacts of known cases of pulmonary TB. A presumptive diagnosis of primary TB is made on the basis of a positive tuberculin reaction and a characteristic chest roentgenogram, usually showing hilar adenopathy. Treatment may be with isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF), largely twice weekly for 9 months, or INH, RIF, and pyrazinamide for 2 months followed for 4 months by INH and RIF. Four drugs are needed in cases of infection with drug-resistant organisms or in tuberculous meningitis. All therapy must be closely monitored for toxicity and compliance. In noncompliant families, all medication should be directly administered. This is now possible with short-course therapy, largely twice weekly. Preventive therapy for the tuberculin positive, but disease-free child, is provided more cost-efficiently with 6 months than with 12 months of treatment with INH; less than 6 months is not adequate. All tuberculin reactive children should receive INH for 6 months. More diligence in providing INH prophylaxis to adult reactors will decrease future infectious TB cases, and thus prevent transmission to other children.