DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL AND LABORATORY PRESENTATIONS IN PEDIATRIC TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT HIV CO-INFECTION

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the top 10 causes of death in children worldwide, particularly among those with HIV coinfection. This study aimed to determine differences in clinical and laboratory presentations between pediatric TB patients with and without HIV coinfection at Dr. M. Djamil Padang General Hospital. This cross-sectional observational study used secondary data from pediatric TB patients treated between 2017 and 2021. Clinical presentations (cough, fever, decreased appetite, weight loss, malnutrition, lymphadenopathy, dyspnea, oral candidiasis, diarrhea, and extrapulmonary TB) and laboratory parameters (hemoglobin, leukocyte count, platelet count, and differential leukocyte count) were analyzed. Among 106 patients, 20 (18.86%) had HIV coinfection. The most common clinical presentations were cough (93.4%), fever (86.6%), and malnutrition (74.5%). Anemia was found in 70.8% of patients. Significant differences in HIV-coinfected children included oral candidiasis (60%; p<0.001), lymphadenopathy (40%; p=0.006), diarrhea (45%; p<0.001), weight loss (75%; p=0.001), and anemia (95%; p=0.018). These findings suggest that clinical and laboratory presentations can help screen for HIV coinfection among pediatric TB patients in healthcare settings.