Childhood and adult tuberculosis in a rural hospital in Southeast Ethiopia: a ten-year retrospective study

Retrospective data collection using TB registers and treatment cards in a rural private mission hospital. Information was collected on number of cases, type of TB and treatment outcomes using standardised definitions.2225 patients were registered, 46.3% of whom were children. A total of 646 patients had smear-positive pulmonary TB (PTB), [132 (20.4%) children]; 816 had smear-negative PTB [556 (68.2%) children], and 763 extra-PTB (EPTB) [341 (44.8%) children]. The percentage of treatment defaulters was higher in paediatric (13.9%) than in adult patients (9.3%) (p = 0.001). The default rate declined from 16.8% to 3.5%, and was independently positively associated with TB meningitis (AOR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.2-6.6) and negatively associated with smear-positive PTB (AOR: 0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.8). The mortality rate was 5.3% and the greatest mortality was associated with adult TB (AOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1-2.5), TB meningitis (AOR: 3.6; 95% CI:1.2-10.9), and HIV infection (AOR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.9-9.4). Decreased mortality was associated with TB lymphadenitis (AOR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.11-0.57).(1) The registration of TB cases can be useful to understand the epidemiology of TB in local health facilities. (2) The defaulter and mortality rate of childhood TB is different to that of adult TB. (3) The rate of defaulting from treatment has declined over time.Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and death in adults in sub-Saharan African countries. Ethiopia is among the 22 countries with the highest TB burden in the world. Detection and treatment of new cases in Directly Observed Treatment Short course chemotherapy (DOTS) programmes is believed to be the most valuable strategy for TB control [1]. By the end of 2006, 184 countries had adopted and implemented DOTS programmes. In 1992 the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (TLCP) and DOTS strategy were established in Ethiopia, with guidelines that make it necessary to fill out a TB register [2,3]. A DOTS strate