Tuberculosis in HIV-infected children in Europe, Thailand and Brazil: paediatric TB:HIV EuroCoord study

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in HIV-infected children. Diagnosis is difficult and successful TB-treatment outcomes vary across settings from 69% to 88%. Contemporary data are scarce in high and middle-income settings.Conclusion: TB incidence is higher in HIVinfected children compared to the general population from the same countries. Universal ART initiation and scale-up of preventive treatment would reduce missed opportunities to prevent TB. Some prescribing practices in EE, including widespread use of streptomycin and adding less than three second-line drugs in the setting with high MDR-TB, are sub-optimal and should be addressed. Despite differences in anagement, most children had good outcomes.