A IMPORTÂNCIA DO FOCO DE CONTÁGIO FAMILIAR NA DIFUSÃO DA TUBERCULOSE INFANTIL

Abstract

The author studies the prevalence of infection and morbidity among 222 children from birth to 12 years of age, who had been under domiciliary contagiou with bacilliferous focci of 101 familiar groups. The infeccion rates were compared to that of other 403 children of 101 familiar groups not exposed to contagiou. Among those living with domiciliary focci there were the elevated proportion of 73,7% of tuberculin reactors compared to only 25,6% of reactors among the children of healthy families. The morbidity rate was determined by systematic and periodical chest X-ray control. Nothing less than 31,0% - (69 Tb. cases among 222 controled children) - of the children under contagiou were tuberculous. The 69 cases were classified as 58 cases of primary tuberculosis and 11 of reinfeccion. From the 58 primary cases, 56% had only ganglionary enlargement, 43% presented lesions both in the lungs and in the lymph nodes and only 13,8% showed the classical roentgenological picture of a dumb-bell shaped shadow. Thanks to the good preventive work of the dispensary visiting service, 77,58% of the 69 cases had retrogression.