PEDGASTROCON-2012, a three-day annual conference on paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, will be commenced at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow on Friday.

The conference will highlight an alarming story of medical neglect where children are treated for the disease they never had. In a report, it has come to notice that more than 20% of children said to be suffering from abdominal tuberculosis and brought to SGPGIMS for advance treatment never had the disease in the first place. They were wrongly diagnosed and treated for TB even as they were suffering from other ailments. Let alone the root disease remaining untreated, the wrong treatment by local doctors caused these kids several side affects.

“Kids suffering from celiac disease and functional abdominal pain are often confused with being tuberculosis-affected because of overlapping symptoms. At the conference, we would try to create awareness among doctors on judicious use of TB drugs among kids,” said Dr SK Yacha, head, department of gastro-pediatrics, SGPGIMS. He said hundreds of children from states such as UP, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh come to SGPGIMS for advance treatment.

“Some symptoms are common for many diseases and that leaves doctors confused forcing them to prescribe drugs such as Pyrizinamide, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Isoniazid,” said the doctor while insisting that prolong use of such drugs take a toll on liver functioning. “Besides, it increases the chances of attack of drug resistant TB in these children,” he said. “The doctors get confused because they are not aware of latest development in technology and advance methods of treatment,” he added.

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