Modified short-course chemotherapy of pulmonary tuberculosis in Ibadan, Nigeria - a preliminary report

Abstract

Over a 3-year period 3rd of April 1995 and 6th of April 1998 a controlled clinical trial of the modified short-course chemotherapy (SSC) in newly diagnosed cases of pulmonary' tuberculosis in Nigeria was carried out. Between The SCC used was the one adopted from World Health Organization/ International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases for developing countries by the Nigerian National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP). The regimen used consisted of streptomycin (S), isoniazid (H), Rifampicin (R) and pyrazinamide (Z) in the initial or intensive phase of 2 months. Ethambutol (E) was sometimes substituted for streptomycin. The continuation phase was 6 months of thiacetazone, (T) and isoniazid (H), i.e., 2SHRZ/6TH or 2EHRZ/6TH. Sputum conversion was 90% at the second month of treatment and there was no bacteriological relapse after 18 months of follow-up. Side effects were few and consisted mainly of acne vulgaris which occurred in twenty (20.6%) of 97 patients during the continuation phase. It is concluded that the 8-month chemotherapy regimen adopted by NTLCP is efficacious in treatment of smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB)