BY NGOZI IBE
Tuberculosis (TB) is often thought of as an adult disease, associated with chronic cough, weight loss, and night sweats. However, TB doesn’t spare children. In fact, children are especially vulnerable to certain forms of the disease that can be harder to recognise, like TB of the spine or lymph nodes. These forms may not present with the “classic” signs we see in adults, making early diagnosis challenging but essential.
One of the more overlooked signs of TB in children is swelling in the neck, often due to TB lymphadenitis, a form of TB that affects the lymph nodes. It might appear as a painless lump that doesn’t go away. In other cases, TB of the spine, also known as Pott’s disease, can lead to spinal deformities, causing a hunched back in children. These physical signs, especially when not accompanied by a persistent cough or fever, can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed treatment.
Another common misconception is that a child must have had contact with a visibly sick adult or lived in poor hygiene to contract TB. In reality, TB can be contracted even from casual exposure, especially in areas where TB is more prevalent. The bacteria can stay dormant in a child’s body for weeks or months before symptoms begin to appear, by which time, serious complications may have developed.
For many people, Tuberculosis (TB) only infects adults. A cough in a child or a hunch back in a child cannot be suggestive of TB. When it comes to children, even if the cough is persistent, it must be that the child’s chest has been exposed to cold or due to asthma. This widespread belief often leads to delays in diagnosis, allowing the disease to progress quietly. It’s crucial for both caregivers and health workers to recognize that children can and do get TB sometimes in unusual and subtle ways.
When a child develops a chronic cough, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or even mild back pain, it’s important to think beyond common respiratory infections. TB in children can affect the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it often manifests outside the lungs (extrapulmonary TB), making awareness key. Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck, that don’t respond to antibiotics should always raise suspicion.
Spinal TB is especially dangerous in children because their bones are still developing. Without timely treatment, the infection can destroy the vertebrae, leading to permanent deformities and even neurological complications. A hunched back, often dismissed as poor posture or congenital deformity, could actually be an advanced sign of TB.
Diagnosis in children can be tricky because they often cannot produce the sputum needed for the standard TB test. Doctors may need to rely on chest X-rays, ultrasound of lymph nodes, skin tests, or more advanced imaging to make a diagnosis. Once diagnosed, TB is treatable with antibiotics taken over a period of several months, but early detection is critical to avoid long-term damage.
The bottom line: Tuberculosis doesn’t look the same in every child. Recognising the early signs whether it’s a lingering cough, a mysterious lump in the neck, or a slowly developing spinal curve , can save a child from pain, disability, or worse. It’s time to break the myth that TB is only an adult disease and start protecting our children with timely awareness and action.
