Nutritional Deficiencies Vitamin D Levels and other Risk Factors in Pediatric Tuberculosis Patients

Original Article

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major world health challenge affecting more than 9 million people every year, of which more than 1 million are children. It presents non-specific symptoms and, for this reason, has been described as a silent epidemic, especially in the diagnosis of childhood TB, especially in bacteriological confirmation. Understanding the risk factors of TB in children is, therefore, essential.

Objectives: To describe socioeconomic, environmental, and health-related characteristics of childhood TB patients in Nowshera, Pakistan, and their risk factors to propose public health interventions.

Study Design: A Cross-Sectional-Study

Place and duration of study: This study was conducted in Department pediatric and Biochemistry Department of QHAMC/NMC,Nowshera situated in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, over eight months starting from 1st January 2023 to 31st August 2023

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department pediatric and Biochemistry Department of QHAMC/NMC,Nowshera from 1st January 2023 to 31st August 2023, comprising 130 patients. In this study, Convenience sampling (Probability) was used. The data was collected by a structured questionnaire and analyzed by statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS version 24). Measures of central tendencies described quantitative data, mean, and frequencies and percentages described standard deviation, and qualitative data. The chi-square test was used to test the relationship between variables where the level of statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0. 05.

Results: Participants included mainly the study population of children aged 0-15 years, and the gender was equally split between boys 50% and girls 50%. A large percentage (69. 2%) were from low-income earners' homes, and 66. 9% of the respondents were from rural areas. Subjects' Body Mass Index (BMI) varied from less than 18 to more than 25. Of special interest, 43. 8% of the children with TB had not been administered BCG vaccination. The source of infection, contact with an adult TB patient, was reported in 43. 8%, while the rest were in the 56. 2 % who had no such history.

Conclusion: Childhood TB in the population under study is significantly related to some factors, namely, direct contact with TB patients, low economic status, crowded housing, poor ventilation and malnutrition.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, Nutritional status, Vitamin D, socioeconomic status