[Intensive chemotherapy tolerance in old patients with pulmonary tuberculosis]

In accordance with the WHO recommendations, the intensive stage of chemotherapy was performed in 100 patients aged 60 to 87 years who had pulmonary tuberculosis. Most (n = 78) patients successfully completed this stage and the remaining 22 patients developed intractable adverse reactions and they had to receive individual chemotherapy regimens. In addition, 27 more patients had adverse reactions that could be eliminated by routine methods, without discontinuing standard treatment. The distinctive feature of intractable reactions were their occurrence within the first 10-20 days after the onset of treatment, they were markedly toxic and allergic and appeared as changes in some organ systems. They are most likely to develop in patients with significant cardiovascular diseases (hypertensive disease, coronary heart disease) accompanied by pronounced focal and diffuse myocardial changes, as evidenced by ECG and in those with signs of prior myocardial infarction. Correctable adverse reactions generally occur in the final period of intensive chemotherapy, they are mainly toxic and differ from intractable reactions of less extent.