Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents

A Five to Fifteen Year Follow-up of 105 Patients

¹ Director of Medicine, B. S. Pollak Hospital for Chest Diseases.

1. In the 10 year period between 1939 - 1948 inclusive, there were 110 admissions at the Pollak Hospital through the age of 16 years for tuberculosis. This study is based on 105 (95.4 per cent) patients in whom clinical information was available five to 15 years after their first entrance into the hospital.

2. These cases are classified. Of the group of 55 (52.3 per cent of the total) with primary infection (parenchymal and/or glandular components), 47 (85.4 per cent) are alive and well five to 15 years later. The remainder (14.6 per cent) died from hematogenous complications (miliary and meningeal) in the pre-antibiotic era.

3. Of the group of 47 (44.8 per cent) with re-infection pulmonary disease, 32 (68 per cent) are living five to 15 years later (up to January 1, 1954) and all but two are inactive. Fifteen (32 per cent) in this group died; 12 from progressive pulmonary tuberculosis and three from tuberculous meningitis. The re-admission rate was 40 per cent compared to 7.4 per cent for the first infection cases.

4. The remaining three (all living) had extra pulmonary tuberculous foci without roentgen evidence of thoracic disease.

5. Prognostic factors in the primary infection and therapeutic measures in the re-infection groups are discussed. The best results in the latter patients were obtained with the use of bed rest and artificial pneumothorax.