A new study found that more than half of children treated for tuberculosis still have abnormal lung function one year after completing treatment, and only one in five show sustained improvement, suggesting that curing the infection does not always mean the lungs have fully recovered.
- 57% of pediatric TB patients had abnormal lung function immediately after treatment completion, and 59% still had poor lung function one year later.
- Children with abnormal lung function or low weight at treatment completion were approximately 13 times more likely to experience ongoing respiratory problems.
- Post-TB lung disease can impact lung development during critical growth years and affect long-term respiratory health into adulthood.
Recent research highlights long-term pulmonary problems in children who receive tuberculosis (TB) treatment. The paper, “Lung Function Trajectories After Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study,” was published in Thorax.
In 2024, 10.7 million new cases of TB were reported globally, 11% of which were children and adolescents. Treatment can rid the infection, but some people experience ongoing respiratory complications known as post-TB lung disease.
Researchers at the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (MRCG-LSHTM) in Gambia, West Africa, assessed 79 pediatric patients who had completed treatment for TB. Study participants underwent lung function tests, chest x-rays and respiratory symptom evaluations at three points: treatment completion, six months post-treatment and 12 months post-treatment.
Investigators found that nearly six in 10 participants had abnormal lung function — 57% immediately following treatment and 59% after one year. The number of patients who reported respiratory symptoms decreased from 35% to 21% at the last follow-up, but poor lung function remained high. Only one in five participants demonstrated sustained improvement in lung function.
The research team identified two factors related to persistent lung impairment: abnormal lung function measurements and decreased weight at the time of TB treatment completion. Pediatric patients who had at least one of these factors were approximately 13 times more likely to experience ongoing respiratory problems.
The paper’s authors said the results suggest that implementing basic assessments of lung function and nutritional status during and after TB treatment to help clinicians determine which children would benefit from closer monitoring and additional care.
“Curing TB doesn’t always mean the lungs have recovered. More than half of the young people in our study still had reduced lung function a year after treatment, at an age when their lungs are still growing,” said Esin Nkereuwem, MD, PhD, lead researcher and clinical research fellow at MRCG-LSHTM, in a news release. “Checking lung function and nutrition when treatment ends could help us identify and support the children most at risk.”
The researchers stressed that clearing the TB infection should not be the only marker of treatment success, as post-TB lung disease could have implications for lung development and long-term respiratory health. They recommended further research with larger pediatric populations to help increase understanding of how lung function evolves beyond the first year of treatment and which interventions could best support recovery.
