To assess the association between deprivation and the incidence and clinical severity of TB in children.
Children ≤ 18 years old who were admitted for TB between 2007 and 2020 at a tertiary hospital were included in this retrospective study. Deprivation was assessed using the French Deprivation Index (FDep). TB severity was assessed using Wiseman’s classification. Multivariate analyses were carried out.
A total of 222 patients were included. The median age was 10.8 years (IQR 4.5-14.4). TB was considered severe in 126 patients (56.8%), with 50% of the patients included in the two most deprived groups. The most deprived children had a TB incidence that was 58 times higher than that of the least deprived children (95% CI 28.49-119.40). There was no significant association between deprivation and severity in the multivariable analysis after adjusting for age and circumstances of diagnosis. Deprivation was associated with an increased length of stay (LOS) in the most deprived groups (OR=3.79, 95% CI 1.55-10.23). There was a trend toward a higher proportion of symptomatic children in the most deprived group.
TB incidence and hospital LOS increased with deprivation levels but not with the severity of TB.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.
