Question

A young Hispanic mother brought her frail infant son to a southern Texas emergency room. While she waited, her baby began to have seizures. The staff stabilized the child while the mother explained that he had been ill for many days. Feverish at times, her son had lost weight because he was too short of breath to nurse. Other family members were ill with bad coughs. The boy was diagnosed with a form of tuberculosis (TB) that affected his brain. He was hospitalized and isolated. Health department officials discovered that two individuals had exposed the baby to TB: an uncle and his father, whom the mother had visited in a Mexican jail. The strain infecting the uncle was a drug-susceptible strain, but inmates from the jail carried a strain of TB that was resistant to several standard anti-tuberculosis drugs. It would take many weeks to determine which of the two strains was affecting the baby Doctors had to make a tough decision: Should they immediately begin treating the infant for the multi-drug-resistant strain (MDR-TB), which involves using five to seven different drugs with multiple and painful side effects for many months, or should they treat him for the more normal form of TB, using a more typical and less stressful drug regimen for an equal length of time? 1. What issues must be considered to determine the drug therapy for the baby? 2. What treatment would you guess was used for the infant?

Answer 1

1. Before prescribing the treatment it is essential to confirm the diagnosis. So that

Examine the baby thoroughly for signs and symptoms of tuberculosis and its associated complications.

Do the tests that are required to confirm TB brain.

Go for tuberculin test(mantoux test)..

If the baby suffering from signs and symptoms of Tuberculosis,then only go for drug therapy.

2.

Usual regimen of Anti tuberculosis drugs may be used.

As the infant gets immunized with BCG, there is less chances for developing Tuberculosis. Even though with immunization baby got attacked with tuberculosis, it is essential to treat with usual TB drug regimen.