DRUG-RESISTANCE AMONG PREVIOUSLY TREATED TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS, A BRIEF REPORT

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Abstract
The choice of an appropriate chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of tuberculosis is more difficult if the patient was treated for tuberculosis in the past. This study was undertaken to determine drug-resistance rates among patients previously treated with isoniazid (INH), streptomycin (SM) and/or paraaminosalicylic acid (PAS). The study population consisted of 4017 patients for whom the length and type of previous therapy was known. Of these patients, 41% were excreting organisms resistant to 1 or more of the following 3 drugs: INH, SM and PAS. Resistance to INH was encountered most (36.8%), followed by resistance to SM (19.2%), and resistance to PAS (17.2%). Resistance rates were considerably higher among the 1168 patients who had previously received monotherapy (60%) than among those who had neve received single-drug therapy (33%). In general, the percentage of patients excreting resistant organisms increased with increasing duration of the previous therapy. The implications of these findings for the design of retreatment regimens are discussed.

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