Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis?
Experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months because it protects against deadly childhood illness, including respiratory tract infections and diarrhea. We hypothesized that exclusive breastfeeding would decrease the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) in children. We analyzed cros...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Global Health Action |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2020.1861922 |
| _version_ | 1818289106783830016 |
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| author | Juan A. Flores Julia Coit Milagros Mendoza Segundo R. Leon Kelika Konda Leonid Lecca Molly F. Franke |
| author_facet | Juan A. Flores Julia Coit Milagros Mendoza Segundo R. Leon Kelika Konda Leonid Lecca Molly F. Franke |
| author_sort | Juan A. Flores |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months because it protects against deadly childhood illness, including respiratory tract infections and diarrhea. We hypothesized that exclusive breastfeeding would decrease the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) in children. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 279 children in Lima, Peru aged 6 to 59 months with TB symptoms and a close adult contact with TB. Mothers self-reported breastfeeding, and children were evaluated for TB per national guidelines. To quantify the association between exclusive breastfeeding and TB, we estimated prevalence ratios using a generalized linear model with a log link, binomial distribution, and robust variance. Twenty-two percent of children were diagnosed with TB and 72% were exclusively breastfed for six months. We found no evidence that six months of exclusive breastfeeding was associated with TB disease in either bivariate analyses (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.5; 95%CI = 0.8–2.5) or multivariable analyses adjusting for sex and socioeconomic status (adjusted PR = 1.6; 95%[CI] = 0.9–2.7). In post hoc analyses among children whose close TB contact was their mother, we found evidence of a weak positive association between breastfeeding and TB (aPR = 2.1; 95%[CI] = 0.9–4.9). This association was not apparent among children whose close contact was not the mother (aPR = 1.2; 95%[CI] = 0.6–2.4). Our results raise the possibility that children who are breastfed by mothers with TB may be at increased risk for TB, given the close contact. Due to the cross-sectional study design, these results should be interpreted with caution. If these findings are confirmed in longitudinal analyses, future interventions could aim to minimize TB transmission from mothers with TB to breastfeeding infants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T02:07:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb1ebcde6ce24d6e81666d6a1b67f75d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T02:07:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb1ebcde6ce24d6e81666d6a1b67f75d2022-12-22T00:03:07ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802021-01-0114110.1080/16549716.2020.18619221861922Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis?Juan A. Flores0Julia Coit1Milagros Mendoza2Segundo R. Leon3Kelika Konda4Leonid Lecca5Molly F. Franke6Universidad Privada San Juan BautistaHarvard Medical SchoolSocios En Salud at Partners in HealthUniversidad Privada San Juan BautistaUniversity of CaliforniaSocios En Salud at Partners in HealthHarvard Medical SchoolExperts recommend exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months because it protects against deadly childhood illness, including respiratory tract infections and diarrhea. We hypothesized that exclusive breastfeeding would decrease the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) in children. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 279 children in Lima, Peru aged 6 to 59 months with TB symptoms and a close adult contact with TB. Mothers self-reported breastfeeding, and children were evaluated for TB per national guidelines. To quantify the association between exclusive breastfeeding and TB, we estimated prevalence ratios using a generalized linear model with a log link, binomial distribution, and robust variance. Twenty-two percent of children were diagnosed with TB and 72% were exclusively breastfed for six months. We found no evidence that six months of exclusive breastfeeding was associated with TB disease in either bivariate analyses (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.5; 95%CI = 0.8–2.5) or multivariable analyses adjusting for sex and socioeconomic status (adjusted PR = 1.6; 95%[CI] = 0.9–2.7). In post hoc analyses among children whose close TB contact was their mother, we found evidence of a weak positive association between breastfeeding and TB (aPR = 2.1; 95%[CI] = 0.9–4.9). This association was not apparent among children whose close contact was not the mother (aPR = 1.2; 95%[CI] = 0.6–2.4). Our results raise the possibility that children who are breastfed by mothers with TB may be at increased risk for TB, given the close contact. Due to the cross-sectional study design, these results should be interpreted with caution. If these findings are confirmed in longitudinal analyses, future interventions could aim to minimize TB transmission from mothers with TB to breastfeeding infants.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2020.1861922mycobacterium tuberculosischildrisk factorbreastfeedinginfant |
| spellingShingle | Juan A. Flores Julia Coit Milagros Mendoza Segundo R. Leon Kelika Konda Leonid Lecca Molly F. Franke Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis? Global Health Action mycobacterium tuberculosis child risk factor breastfeeding infant |
| title | Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis? |
| title_full | Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis? |
| title_fullStr | Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis? |
| title_short | Is exclusive breastfeeding for six-months protective against pediatric tuberculosis? |
| title_sort | is exclusive breastfeeding for six months protective against pediatric tuberculosis |
| topic | mycobacterium tuberculosis child risk factor breastfeeding infant |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2020.1861922 |
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