Safety and yield of sputum induction for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Background: Induced sputum (IS) is a sampling technique for obtaining lower airway samples for microbial investigations, including GeneXpert and culture for microbiological confirmation of .

Objectives: To investigate the safety and yield of IS in children admitted to a tertiary hospital in Ghana with presumed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in children aged 3 months - 14 years at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, over the 6-month period January - June 2022.

Sickle Lung Disease Long-Term Consequences and Prevention.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is of global significance due to its severity and occurrence worldwide. Inheritance of the abnormal hemoglobin structure contributes to microvascular events that underlie the development of the multi-systemic complications seen in the disease pathogenesis. Pulmonary complications are common and heterogeneous including pulmonary hypertension, sleep-disordered breathing and lung function abnormalities.

Bronchiectasis in African children: Challenges and barriers to care.

Bronchiectasis (BE) is a chronic condition affecting the bronchial tree. It is characterized by the dilatation of large and medium-sized airways, secondary to damage of the underlying bronchial wall structural elements and accompanied by the clinical picture of recurrent or persistent cough. Despite an increased awareness of childhood BE, there is still a paucity of data on the epidemiology, pathophysiological phenotypes, diagnosis, management, and outcomes in Africa where the prevalence is mostly unmeasured, and likely to be higher than high-income countries.

Aetiology and presentation of childhood pleural infections in the post-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era in South Africa.

Background: Complications of respiratory infections including pleural effusion (PE) are associated with a high morbidity. Differentiating between PE caused by (Mtb) infection and other bacterial infections in endemic areas is difficult in children, thus, impacting treatment.

Objectives: To investigate the aetiology of PE and features distinguishing tuberculosis (TB) from bacterial PE in children.