Pulmonary tuberculosis in patients treated with inhaled beclomethasone.
Inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) has been used with few side-effects in the treatment of bronchial asthma for 2 decades. Until now the manifestation of tuberculosis (TB) in patients on inhaled BDP has not been reported. Eight patients with allergic asthma, of a total of 548 asthmatics (1.46%) seen over a 2-year period, developed active TB following the use of inhaled BDP. All were sputum-positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on smear and/or culture, all responded well to a combination of anti-TB drugs, and none showed evidence of immunological or pituitary-adrenal suppression. Two patients agreed to a repeat administration of BDP; both developed TB again within 2 weeks and are again on anti-TB treatment.
Shaikh
W A
WA
Allergy Clinic, Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences, India.
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D001507:Beclomethasone