TUBERCULOSIS: India: '20% kids being treated wrongly for tuberculosis'

Anupam Srivastava, Hindustan Times

Lucknow, November 02, 2012

First Published: 10:24 IST(2/11/2012)
Last Updated: 10:27 IST(2/11/2012)

In a telling statement of the pitiable healthcare system, a report has claimed that more than 20% of children said to be suffering from abdominal tuberculosis and brought to SGPGIMS for advance treatment never had the disease in the first place. They were wrongly diagnosed and treated for TB even 

as they were suffering from other ailments. Let alone the root disease remaining untreated, the wrong treatment by local doctors caused these kids several side affects.

The alarming story of medical neglect will be highlighted during PEDGASTROCON-2012, the three-day annual conference on paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, to be inaugurated at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) on Friday.

"Kids suffering from celiac disease and functional abdominal pain are often confused with being tuberculosis-affected because of overlapping symptoms. At the conference, we would try to create awareness among doctors on judicious use of TB drugs among kids," said Dr SK Yacha, head, department of gastro-pediatrics, SGPGIMS.

He said hundreds of children from states such as UP, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh come to SGPGIMS for advance treatment.

"When our doctors handled them here, it was found that most of them were being treated for diseases they weren't suffering from," added Yacha.

"Some symptoms are common for many diseases and that leaves doctors confused forcing them to prescribe drugs such as Pyrizinamide, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Isoniazid," said the doctor while insisting that prolong use of such drugs take a toll on liver functioning.

"Besides, it increases the chances of attack of drug resistant TB in these children," he said. "The doctors get confused because they are not aware of latest development in technology and advance methods of treatment," he added