Adolescent Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease: Should We Be Concerned?

Background Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant issue due to its high incidence and mortality rates but there is a lack of studies addressing the conditions that may arise after treatment, particularly lung impairment in children. Therefore, this study assessed the lung function of adolescents who had undergone TB treatment. Methods This comparative, analytical, non-experimental study with a cross-sectional design was conducted using secondary data from a previous study involving fifty-two participants with drug-sensitive TB (DS-TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) treated at Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia, from July to September 2024. Chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans were performed using the Hitachi Sceneria CT-Scanner® and spirometry was conducted with the MIR Spirolab® device utilising a forced expiratory manoeuvre to analyse changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Data analysis was conducted using paired t-tests in IBM SPSS with a significance level of p < 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. Results Of the fifty-two adolescent pulmonary TB survivors contacted, two of them died and 27 participants were excluded because they were not contactable. HRCT scans of the remaining 23 adolescents identified primarily fibrosis, nodules, and ground-glass appearance (20/23, 19/23, and 10/23, respectively). Only 2 participants had normal HRCT findings and both were DS-TB survivors. Comparative spirometry results over the one-year (mean 12.7 months) follow-up showed a significant increase in FEV1 (p = 0.033, 95% confidence interval [0.5–11.4]) and FVC (p = 0.008, 95% confidence interval [2.1–12.8]). Conclusions HRCT scans are essential in the follow-up of adolescent TB survivors as they provide insights into lung damage and detect complications. Repeated spirometry is also necessary to assess and monitor lung function in TB survivors.