Levamisole as an adjunct in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
An immunomodulatory drug levamisole (l-tetramisole) was used in the treatment of 50 patients with newly diagnosed sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis in addition to routine chemotherapy. A control group received routine chemotherapy for tuberculosis only. Patients in both groups had been chosen because of mild immunodepression, as shown by their insensitivity to skin tests with dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). The patients were followed for 3 months, and their clinical recovery was assessed and compared by recording the rate of sputum clearance, rate of weight gain, decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and clearance of radiologic lesions. The results showed that at the end of 3 months, 48% of the patients in the group receiving levamisole reacted to DNCB as against only 18% of the control group. The levamisole-treated group also showed significant radiologic clearing compared with the control group. However, the rate of sputum clearance, decrease in ESR, and weight gain did not show any significant difference.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D001835:Body Weight; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007978:Levamisole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology
D007978:Levamisole