Prevalence of BCG adenitis in infants vaccinated at birth

¯Abstract Background: BCG vaccine is a safe and effective product. The most common side effects are ulceration at the site of vaccination and also regional lymphadenitis. The risk of suppurative lymphadenitis is more common in neonates than in infants and children. Objective: To detect the prevalence of BCG adenitis in vaccinated infants and also evaluating the correlation between incidence of BCG adenitis and sex, birth weight and gestational age of neonates. Methods: This was a retrospective analytical study in which 500 infants vaccinated at birth were evaluated for presence of BCG adenitis using a questionnaire. The correlation between occurrence of BCG adenitis and sex, gestational age and birth weight of neonates was analyzed by chi-square test. Findings: The prevalence of BCG adenitis was 6%. No positive correlation between occurrence of BCG adenitis and the neonate sex was found. However, there was a positive correlation between occurrence of BCG adenitis and both the neonate birth weight and gestational age (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on data found in our study, more attention to gestational age and birth weight is recommended to reduce the occurrence of BCG vaccine complications.