Recombinant tuberculosis allergen test in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in preschoolers and primary school children

Introduction. Since the recombinant tuberculosis allergen test is currently one of the leading methods for diagnosing tuberculosis in children, evaluating its effectiveness is of particular interest until completely new diagnostic approaches are developed.

Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic and clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in preschool- and primary school-aged children in the Omsk Region over time and the diagnostic efficacy of a recombinant tuberculosis allergen test. To conduct a comparative analysis by age over a 20-year period.

Materials and methods. A retrospective study was conducted among 733 children aged 4 to 11 years in the Omsk Region who had tuberculosis and received inpatient treatment between 2001 and 2020. The study consisted of two stages. The first stage reviewed the characteristics of tuberculosis and its clinical forms, as well as the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children aged 4 to 11 years over time. In the second stage, the cohort of children was divided by age. Diagnostics were compared across age groups.

Results. It turned out that the number of children diagnosed with tuberculosis peaked between 2001 and 2005. Slightly more than half of children aged 4–11 years with tuberculosis were identified through screening—annual tuberculin testing, followed by immunodiagnosis using the ATP skin test. However, the proportion of children identified through annual screening decreased slightly between 2016 and 2020. When evaluating the results at hospital discharge, a decrease in the number of hyperergic reactions was found. Thus, skin immunoassays can reliably detect tuberculosis in children; they are positive in the majority of all tuberculosis cases.

Conclusions. The study demonstrated the diagnostic significance of a test with a recombinant tuberculosis allergen and conducted a comparative analysis in the age aspect over a 20-year period.

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