Tuberculosis in children with severe acute malnutrition
Year: 2022
Type: review
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: With growing attention globally to the childhood tuberculosis epidemic after decades of neglect, and with the burden of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remaining unacceptably high worldwide, the collision of these two diseases is an important focus for improving child health. AREAS COVERED: This review describes the clinical and public health implications of the interplay between tuberculosis and SAM, particularly for children under the age of five, and identifies priority areas for improved programmatic implementation and future research. We reviewed the literature on PubMed and other evidence known to the authors published until August 2021 relevant to this topic. EXPERT OPINION: To achieve the World Health Organization's goal of eliminating deaths from childhood tuberculosis and to improve the abysmal outcomes for children with SAM, further research is needed to 1) better understand the epidemiologic connections between child tuberculosis and SAM, 2) improve case finding of tuberculosis in children with SAM, 3) assess unique treatment considerations for tuberculosis when children also have SAM, and 4) ensure tuberculosis and SAM are strongly addressed in decentralized, integrated models of providing primary healthcare to children.
Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of California, San Francisco, Fundação Ariel Glaser Contra o SIDA Pediátrico, University of California, Los Angeles, University Teaching Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Université de Bordeaux, Inserm, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North-West University
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4213216639