Comparison Between Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Adolescents

Tuberculosis (TB) is a main health problem worldwide. Despite the high incidence of TB in adolescents, studies mainly focus on the risk factors of TB in adults.
The current study aimed at comparing the demographic, clinical, and microbiological characteristics of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) and pulmonary TB (PTB) in adolescents.
The current retrospective study compared 30 EPTB and 113 PTB cases, aged 10 to 18 years, admitted to Masih Daneshvari Medical center, Tehran, Iran, from March 2006 to March 2011.
The mean age of the patients with PTB and EPTB were 15.4 ± 2.3 and 16.1 ± 1.7 years, respectively. Sixteen (53%) and 74 (65.5%) of the patients with EPTB and PTB, respectively, were female. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that contact with adult patients with TB (odds ratios (OR): 0.07; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.009 - 0.58) and smear positivity (OR: 0.062; 95% CI: 0.005 - 0.80) were associated with PTB, while having a fever (OR: 21.49; 95% CI: 1.35 - 339.96) was associated with EPTB.
The current study findings in adolescent patients confirmed the quiet onset of EPTB with a lower rate of bacteriologic diagnosis and source detection rate. New strategies are required to improve the early diagnosis and prevention of EPTB in adolescents.