Clinical trial of six-month and four-month regimens of chemotherapy in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis: the results up to 30 months.
In a study in Singapore, Chinese, Malay and Indian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis received 2 months of daily treatment with streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide followed by daily isoniazid, and rifampicin either with pyrazinamide (SHRZ/HRZ) or without it (SHRZ/HR), allocated at random. Both regimens were given for either 6 or 4 months by random allocation. All 330 patients with drug-sensitive tubercle bacilli pretreatment had a favourable bacteriological response during chemotherapy. After chemotherapy none of 78 SHRZ/HRZ patients and only 2 of 80 SHRZ/HR patients treated for 6 months relapsed bacteriologically, but 9 (11%) of 79 SHRZ/HRZ and 6 (8%) of 77 SHRZ/HR patients treated for 4 months relapsed. Of 33 patients with bacilli resistant to isoniazid, streptomycin, or both drugs pretreatment, only 1 had an unfavourable response during chemotherapy; none of 9 patients treated for 6 months and 2 of 22 treated for 4 months relapsed bacteriologically after stopping chemotherapy.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011718:Pyrazinamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011897:Random Allocation; D012293:Rifampin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D011718:Pyrazinamide; D007538:Isoniazid; D012293:Rifampin; D013307:Streptomycin