Blood parameters help with TB diagnosis in kids: Study

CHENNAI: While the incidence of tuberculosis has been reported in children, diagnosing it at the earliest stage has remained a challenge. However, a recent study published in the Tamil Nadu Journal of Public Health and Medical Research has stated that haematological factors or blood parameters such as haemoglobin, platelet count and white blood cell count can help in the early diagnosis of TB in children.

With very few signs of the disease in children, the advanced symptoms of TB are also not clear in children. Doctors also face operational constraints of obtaining specimens from children who are unable to generate sputum.

The study conducted with the assistance of ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, revealed that haematological indicators have been used as diagnostic and prognostic markers in the management of TB. Biomarkers from blood counts have been able to predict progression to TB in both children and adults.

Researchers analysed the haematological parameters of children with TB disease and investigated the association between anaemia, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and clinical status. As part of the study, HIV-negative children aged 15 and under, who had either confirmed or clinically diagnosed TB, were evaluated between 2014-2019 from 2 hospitals in Chennai.

Of the 593 children from the 2,078 screened for the study, 33.7% were diagnosed with TB, 38% were bacteriologically confirmed and 62% were diagnosed clinically.

The study pointed out that around 49% of the children diagnosed were suffering from anaemia, while it was around 24% children who did not have TB. These children also had elevated levels of other blood biomarkers.

The corresponding author of the study, Aishwarya Venkataraman, said, “Findings demonstrated significant haematological abnormalities in children with TB. It means that these indices might be useful as additional tools in determining if a child has TB. This work further adds to the growing body of research on the ML and NL ratios as adjunct biomarkers for TB diagnosis in children. This is crucial given the difficulty of obtaining respiratory samples for microbiologic diagnosis in children with TB.”

The study pointed out that around 49% of the children diagnosed were suffering from anaemia, while it was around 24% children who did not have TB. These children also had elevated levels of other blood biomarkers