Comparing tuberculosis in children aged under 5 versus 5 to 14 years old in a rural hospital in southern Ethiopia: an 18-year retrospective cross-sectional study

Abstract Background There are few data available about childhood tuberculosis (TB) in rural hospitals in low-income countries. We assessed differences in epidemiological characteristics and treatment outcomes in children with TB aged 0–4 versus 5–14 years in rural Ethiopia. Methods For this retrospective cross-sectional study, we analyzed childhood TB registers from a rural Ethiopian hospital. We collected data on the number of cases, type of TB, and treatment outcomes using standard definitions. By means of binary and logistic regression analyses, data were compared from 1998 to 2015 in children aged under 5 versus those aged 5–14 years. Results We included 1282 TB patients: 583 (45.5%) were under 5 years old, and 699 (54.5%) were aged 5–14 years. More than half (67.2%, n = 862) had pulmonary TB (PTB), which was more common in younger children (82.5%, 481/583) than in older ones (54.5%, 381/699; p