Drug Resistance in Children with Central Nervous System Tuberculosis from a Tertiary Care Center in Mumbai

Introduction Central Nervous System tuberculosis (CNS-TB) is the most lethal form of extra-pulmonary TB, especially in children. In this study, we have discussed patterns of drug resistance in pediatric CNS-TB. Materials and methods Prospective observational study conducted on 100 children at a tertiary care center. Diagnosed cases of CNS-TB were enrolled. GeneXpert MTB/RIF was used upfront for diagnosis, and in cases where TB MGIT culture was positive, a phenotypic Drug Susceptibility Test (DST) was done. Patients were divided into resistant to at least one drug (DR) and drug-susceptible (DS). Various parameters were compared between these groups. Results Mean age of participants was 5.84 ± 3.5 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.08 : 1; 14% of children had drug-resistant CNS TB (DR-CNS-TB). A higher proportion of children previously treated for TB were associated with drug resistance (p = 0.009), and those with disseminated TB also had a higher drug resistance (p = 0.002). Apart from this, the DR and DS groups had no statistically significant differences in demographic, clinical or epidemiological parameters. Conclusions Previous history of being treated for TB and disseminated TB was an independent risk factor for DR-CNS-TB. Ensuring proper adherence and compliance to anti-tubercular treatment could help in preventing the emergence of DR TB.