1658. Particularities Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Among Children

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among children remains challenging due to the non-specific clinical symptoms, laboratory features and the difficulty of sampling for microbiological investigations. We aimed to study clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary features of PTB among children. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study including all children aged ≤ 18 years diagnosed with PTB between 1995 and 2016. RESULTS: We encountered 67 children with PTB, among whom 37 (55.2%) were female. The median age was 15 years [1-18years]. According to residency, 36 patients came from rural area (53.7%). We noted 7 cases (10.4%) of miliary tuberculosis (TB). Three cases of pleural TB (4.5%), one case of lymph node TB (1.5%) and one case of neuromeningeal TB were associated to PTB. Induced sputum or gastric aspirate were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 67.9% of the cases. Serologic tests for human immunodeficiency virus was positive in one case (1.5%). The mean duration of antitubercular therapy was 8 ±2 months. The treatment regimen was based on a quadritherapy for the first 2 months, followed by a bitherapy for the rest of the period. Fixed dose drug combinations were prescribed in 17 cases (25.3%). The disease evolution was favourable in 65 cases (97%). Two patients were dead (3%). There were no relapsing cases. CONCLUSION: Prompt diagnosis and treatment of PTB among children improve the prognosis. Screening for PTB among children exposed to adult tuberculosis is crucial in order to prevent the disease. DISCLOSURES: All Authors: No reported disclosures