Sidra Aurangzeb, Mazhar Badshah, Muhammad Irshad, Rao Suhail, Khan Y, Muhammad Tariq.
Frequency of drug induced hepatitis in adults taking anti-tuberculous treatment for neurotuberculosis.
Ann Pak Inst Med Sci Jan ;4(1):41-5.

Objectives: To determine the frequency of drug induced hepatitis (DIH) in patients taking antituberculous treatment (ATT) for neurotuberculosis Patients and Methods: This Quasi-experimental study was conducted in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan, from January 2004 to January 2006 A total of 114 patients of neurotuberculosis taking standard ATT were included in this study. On appearance of DIH, ATT was stopped and patients were started on modified regimen. Once the LFT’s returned to normal, first-line medications were restarted in sequential fashion. Clinical outcome was measured at the time of discharge and at three months. Results: Out of 114 patients on ATT for neurotuberculosis, twelve (10.5%) patients developed drug induced hepatitis, and 75% of these were below 30 years of age. Risk factors for development of hepatotoxicity were exposure to hepatotoxins, hepatitis positivity, established Liver disease, pregnancy and abnormal baseline liver function tests. Time interval between start of ATT & appearance of jaundice varied between 1st week to 15th week, with 83% developing jaundice within the first month. Three patients (all males) died during the treatment while Jaundice disappeared in rest of the patients after discontinuation of ATT. Conclusions: The frequency of drug induced hepatitis with ATT especially in neurotuberculosis may be higher than reported earlier and the incidence is increased in the presence of other risk factors.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com