Managing Hepatotoxicity Caused by Anti-tuberculosis Drugs: A Comparative Study of Approaches

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest and most well-known diseases that has been associated with humans for many years and remains a global health challenge today. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment are crucial for controlling and preventing the spread of the disease. While anti-TB drugs offer many benefits, inadequate monitoring can lead to a range of side effects, including hepatotoxicity, which is a major concern and can cause treatment discontinuation. The aim of this study was to determine the approach to the hepatotoxicity of anti-TB drugs and to investigate potential relationships between demographic factors, underlying medical conditions, and successful retreatment outcomes for hepatotoxicity induced by anti-TB drugs.

For this study, we reviewed the medical records of patients who experienced hepatotoxicity due to anti-TB treatment and were admitted to the infectious ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital between April 2015 and February 2019. The data were collected using a questionnaire.

The findings indicated that the female gender, weight loss at the beginning of hospitalization, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus (HBV), heart disease, and high levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) at the beginning of hepatotoxicity are risk factors for failure to the retreatment of hepatotoxicity. There were two different approaches to the anti-TB retreatment regimen. The first approach involved gradually starting the drugs in full dose, while the second approach encompassed starting the drugs in the minimum dose and then increasing to the maximum dose. The results demonstrated no significant difference between the two approaches to managing hepatotoxicity induced by anti-TB drugs.

Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is a common occurrence that often results in treatment discontinuation. Understanding the prevalence of this complication and identifying appropriate methods of rechallenge treatment is crucial to reducing complications and mortality rates.