[Ambulatory therapy of tuberculosis]

Author debates the advantages of home treatment of tuberculosis and the question limits. These limits are essentially represented by a low compliance in many patients. At our Institute, we put in practice an home therapy trial of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. Our treatment programme includes short-course chemotherapy (six or eight months of therapy) with rifampin, isoniazid and ethambutol associated or, instead of ethambutol, with morphazynamide. In 1982, 674 patients were treated according to this schedule. Previously we made a controlled clinical trial comparing home and hospital treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in 50 patients newly diagnosed. The results of this study showed that both groups of patients entirely recovered at the same time. At last, Author points out that today politicians poorly know the importance of a therapeutic home programme.