Tuberculin Reaction of Children with Active Tuberbulosis

Comparison with the New Criteria for INH Prophylaxis

Abstract

We studied the sizes of Tuberculin reaction (TR) of 296 children who admitted to Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hospital for active tuberculosis. The patients were classified into 4 groups; BCG group with or without some history of contact with a tuberculous patient, no BCG group with or without the history. About 30% of the total children showed the sizes of TR below the criteria established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1989 for INH prophylaxis. The rate of the children whose TR were below the criteria were 4.3% of no BCG group with the history, 29.3% of no BCG group without the history, 50% of BCG group with the history and 92.9% of BCG group without the history.