[DRUG-INDUCED LIVER INJURY AND PYRAZINAMIDE USE]

In the 1950s, high doses (40-70 mg/kg/day) of pyrazinamide were reported to cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI). It remains unclear whether adding pyrazinamide (Z) at the currently accepted low dose (20-25 mg/kg/day) to a regimen of isoniazid (H), rifampicin (R), and ethambutol (E) increases the risk of DILI.

We reviewed adult patients admitted for smear-positive tuberculosis who were treated with a daily HRE or HRZE regimen. A Cox model was used to analyze the impact of pyrazinamide on the occurrence of DILI.

We reviewed 195 patients (123 men [63%], 72 women [37%], average age 65 ± 19 years, 65 HRE patients [33%], 130 HRZE patients [67%]). The incidence of DILI in the first two months was 15% (29/195). The HRZE regimen was not associated with DILI (hazard ratio 0.55, P = 0.263).

Addition of low-dose (20-25 mg/kg/day) pyrazinamide to the HRE regimen does not appeared to be associated with increased DILI incidence during the first two months of treatment.