A comparative study of daily followed by twice or once weekly regimens of ethambutol and rifampicin in retreatment of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The results at 1 year. A cooperative tuberculosis chemotherapy study in Poland.
The present report concerns the results at 1 year of a co-operative controlled clinical study carried out in Poland of the retreatment of patients with active, chronic, polyresistant far-advance pulmonary tuberculosis with an oral regimen of daily followed by intermittent ethambutol and rifampicin. A comparison was made of once- and twice-weekly supervised intermittent regimens of rifampicin 1200 mg plus ethambutol 50 mg/kg body weight under out-patient conditions after an initial inpatient phase of rifampicin 600 mg and ethambutol 25 mg/kg daily for 12 weeks. Patients were allocated at random to the regimens. Of 247 patients admitted to the study, 201 (81 per cent) completed 1 year's treatment as prescribed by the protocol, 46 (19 per cent) patients terminated their treatment prematurely before 1 year. After the daily phase of 12 weeks' treatment, 82 per cent were negative on smear and 85 per cent on culture; in the continuation intermittent phase, 98 per cent of patients in the once-weekly (E1R1) regimen were negative on culture at 28 weeks and 98 per cent in the twice-weekly (E2R2) regimen. The corresponding proportions at 52 weeks were 97 per cent and 97 per cent. At 12 months, 96 per cent of 101 ER/E1R1 and 96 per cent of 100 ER/E2R2 patients who completed 1 years' treatment were culture-negative.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004977:Ethambutol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011693:Purpura / Q000139:chemically induced; D012293:Rifampin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced
D004977:Ethambutol; D012293:Rifampin