THE FREQUENCY OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS AMONGST SEVERELY ACUTE MALNOURISHED CHILDREN

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of pulmonary tuberculosis in children aged 2–59 months diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition.

METHODOLOGY: This descriptive cross-sectional research was carried out at the Nutrition Stabilization Centre, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, Sukkur, between September 2024 and March 2025. A total of 162 male and female children aged 2–59 months, fulfilling WHO standards for severe acute malnutrition (weight-for-height <–3 SD, MUAC <11.5 cm, or bilateral oedema), were selected through consecutive non-probability sampling and evaluated for pulmonary tuberculosis. Data were processed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive measures and Chi-square analysis, considering p < 0.05 as statistically significant.

RESULTS: Among 162 severely malnourished children (mean age 17.44 ± 11.96 months; 46.9% males and 53.1% females), pulmonary tuberculosis was confirmed in 63 (38.8%) cases. No statistically significant associations were observed between tuberculosis positivity and demographic or clinical characteristics, including age, gender, nutritional status, or clinical indicators (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: This study identified pulmonary tuberculosis in about one-third of children with severe acute malnutrition, emphasizing the considerable overlap between these two conditions. No statistically significant association was observed between tuberculosis positivity and demographic or clinical characteristics, showing that symptoms alone cannot reliably guide diagnosis. Integrating molecular diagnostics such as the GeneXpert assay into nutrition rehabilitation services is essential to enable timely detection and improve treatment outcomes among malnourished children in high-burden regions.