[INH preventive therapy in Chiba Prefecture--before and after the renewal of the guideline].
To prescribe or withhold isoniazid (INH) for tuberculin skin test reactors is a difficult question in our country where BCG coverage rate is high. The guideline for INH preventive therapy renewed in 1989 says that the decision should be made according to the maximum erythema diameter of tuberculin skin test considering if the patient is a contact or non-contact, BCG vaccinated or non-vaccinated. In addition, evidence of recent infection is also important. We reported the INH preventive therapy in Chiba prefecture before and after the renewal of the guideline. There were 347 cases before and 571 after the renewal of the guideline. The cases of which maximum erythema diameter were coincided with the recommendation of the guideline were 50.2% and 78.6% respectively. Close contacts of infectious tuberculosis, i.e. cases founded out in extraordinary health examination and household contacts examination, showed high coincidence rate. On the contrary, tuberculin-positive infants found in routine health examination, who are neither contacts nor BCG vaccinated, showed low coincidence rate and seemed to be administered INH by their home- or school-doctors' own standards. These trends were the same before and after the renewal of the guideline.
Hayashi
A
A
Chiba Dispensary of Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Japan.
Shimura
A
A
Uchiyama
H
H
Nagao
K
K
Kuriyama
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D014611:Vaccination
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D007538:Isoniazid