Tuberculosis in children exposed to MTB with different drug resistance patterns

<b>Introduction:</b> In 2018 three countries with the largest share of the global burden of drug-resistant TB were India (27%), China (14%) and Russian Federation (9%) (WHO Global tuberculosis report, 2019). Exposure to multiple drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) via household contacts makes the biggest contribution into development of MDR TB in children. The aim of our study was to compare the clinical features of TB in children exposed to MDR TB and drug-susceptible (DS) TB. <b>Methods:</b> Our study involved 88 patients aged from 1 to 13 years with respiratory TB. The first group – 46 children were exposed to MDR TB, and the second group – 42 children were exposed to DS TB. The following clinical features of the tuberculosis were studied: presence of complications and bacterial expectoration. <b>Results:</b> Only 4 patients of the second group were diagnosed with MTB expectoration. All other patients in both groups were smear-negative. As for the clinical forms, TB of intrathoracic lymph nodes prevailed: 73,9% (34) patients in the first group and 89% (34) in the second group. The rest of the children had a Ghon’s complex. Some children had complications of the TB process – additional foci in lungs (24), cavitation (4), bronchi (12) and pleura (4) lesions. Incidence of complicated forms was different in the two groups. <b>Conclusion:</b> the course of TB was more severe in children exposed to MDR TB compared to DS TB.