Efficacy and safety of intravenous chemotherapy during intensive treatment phase in patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis.

The purpose of our study was to examine the efficacy and safety of intravenous chemotherapy during intensive treatment phase for patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (pulmonary TB).

Materials and methods: The study involved 92 patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary TB aged between 20 years and 68 years. All patient with newly diagnosed pulmonary TB and chemosensitive tuberculosis were enrolled in this study. The patients were allocated to two groups. The first (control) group of 46 patients received standard chemotherapy orally. The second (main) group consisted of 46 patients who were prescribed isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol by i / v transfusion, and pyrazinamide orally as a part of the standard treatment.

Results: Symptoms of intoxication in pulmonary TB patients from the second group were eliminated faster (1.42±0.35) of a month than the same symptoms of the group 1-(2.96±0.24) of the months,p < 0.05; disappearance of respiratory symptoms of the group 2-(1.34±0.29) of a month, group 1-(2.65±0.43) of the months,p < 0.05. In the group 2, the bacterioexcretion time was reducing faster and up to 2 months it reached 37(80.43±5.85%) while the time for the control group reached 25(54.35±7.34%),p < 0.05. Destruction healing and healing frequency of destruction cavities up to 4 months amounted to 38(82.61±5.59%) (in control group - 28(60.87±7.20%),p < 0.05) and residual changes were reducing (small changes or absence of even minimal radiological changes were found in 29(63.04 ±7.12%) patients versus 18(39.13±7.20%) of the group 1, and large residual changes accordingly in 17(36.96±7.12%) and 28(60.87±7.20%),p < 0.05.

Conclusions: Thanks to i/v chemotherapy clinical manifestations of the in patients with pulmonary TB were eliminated faster, severe side effects to anti-TB drugs were not noticed, time of bacterial excretion and healing destruction reduced, healing frequency of destruction cavities increased and the residual changes decreased.