Short course intermittent chemotherapy in childhood tuberculosis

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A Göçmen1, U Ozçelic, N Kiper

  • 1Dept. of Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

Infection
|September 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Short-course, low-dose intermittent chemotherapy effectively treated childhood tuberculosis with minimal side effects. This economical regimen showed excellent clinicoradiologic response and a low relapse rate in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in children.
  • Effective and safe treatment regimens are crucial for managing pediatric TB.
  • Short-course chemotherapy offers a promising approach to TB treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a short-course, low-dose intermittent chemotherapy regimen for pediatric pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
  • To assess the clinicoradiologic response and relapse rates associated with this treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective evaluation of 130 children with tuberculosis treated between 1978-1992.
  • Two treatment arms: daily isoniazid, rifampin, and streptomycin for 15 days followed by twice-weekly for 9 months; and a similar regimen without streptomycin since 1986.
  • Analysis of clinicoradiologic response, adverse drug reactions, and relapse rates.

Main Results:

  • Excellent clinicoradiologic response observed in the majority of patients.
  • Pulmonary tuberculosis was the most common form (75%), followed by lymph node TB (9%).
  • Only one case of relapse (lymph node TB) was detected 18 months post-treatment; no serious adverse drug reactions were reported.

Conclusions:

  • Short-course, low-dose intermittent chemotherapy is an effective and economical treatment for childhood tuberculosis.
  • The regimen demonstrates a favorable safety profile with minimal side effects.
  • This approach is suitable for both pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms of pediatric TB.

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