Delayed drug hypersensitivity to anti-tuberculosis drug: a new desensitization scheme

Tuberculosis is a communicable illness and one of the leading causes of death, especially in developing countries like Turkey. One of the problems that must be managed well in the treatment of tuberculosis is drug hypersensitivity. The first-line agents are very important for the success of treatment. Alternative drugs are more toxic and less successful in treatment. Therefore, it is very important to be able to include first-line drugs in the post-hypersensitivity regimen. At this point, the success of desensitization comes to the fore. There are fewer studies on rapid drug desensitization in delayed-type drug hypersensitivity to anti-tuberculosis drugs.

The primary aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions in drug-sensitive cases; the secondary aim was to determine the appropriate treatment management.

This was a retrospective study. Demographic features, tuberculosis diagnostic indicator, clinical signs of developing a hypersensitivity reaction, reaction time, desensitization scheme and treatment were evaluated.

A total of 41 tuberculosis cases were included in the study. Twenty-six of the cases were male; mean age (mean ± SD) 55.44 ±16.93 years; 70.7% of them were diagnosed bacteriologically; 70.7% of them were diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. The most common skin finding was maculopapular drug eruption. The development time (mean ± SD) of the reaction in patients who developed a reaction was 34.93 ±39.62 days. The responsible agent could be identified in 15 reactions. The most common drug responsible for the reaction was rifampicin. Successful desensitization was achieved in 19 (46.3%) cases with the sensitive regimen. The duration of treatment was 8.97 ±3.44 months. When evaluated in terms of treatment results, cure and treatment completion were accepted as treatment success. In this case, 30 (73.2%) patients successfully completed the treatment.

Our study is one of the largest series in which delayed-type hypersensitivity develops under tuberculosis treatment and the desensitization scheme is recommended. A practical, easy desensitization scheme had been shared in this paper.