[Treatment of new and chronic tuberculous patients with ethambutol and Rifampicin (author's transl)]

In patients with chronic pulmonary tuberculosis the results of chemotherapy between drug regimens containing ethambutol or rifampicin were compared. Patients in both groups were randomized selected. After 4 months of chemotherapy negativization was reached to 100% in the RMP-group compared to 80% of the patients in the EMB-group. In 98 chronics EMB was added to the chemotherapy regimen and resulted in 90% of negativization. In a small subgroup RMP was added to the regimen and 100% negativization could be obtained. Among 220 patients with chronic pulmonary tuberculosis, treated with RMP in 9 hospitals according to our protocoll, in 205 patients (93.2%) the excretion of bacilli was cessated. In 54 new cases treated with EMB and another combination and in 20 new cases treated additionally with RMP the sputum converted to negative in 100% of the patients. But the the negativization was reached 24 days earlier on the average in the group treated with RMP. Antituberculotic drugs are administered in our clinic according to the body weight.