Shorter multidrug chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of tuberculosis among children

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the efficiency of the treatment of children having tuberculosis with multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogen and from outbreaks of MDR tuberculosis.

Methods: Lot Quality Technique was used to include 31 children having MDR tuberculosis and children from the outbreaks of MDR tuberculosis under 15 years old in the study.

Results: The treatment was shortened for children having light forms of tuberculosis and positive process. The length of intensive treatment took 3 months for 15 patients, 4 months - for 6 children, 5 months - 1 child, 6 months - 5 children, and 8 months - for 4 patients. The injectable drug was stopped and four anti-tuberculosis drugs were prescribed in the stage of prolonging treatment. Overall duration of the treatment took 9 months for 12 children, 10 months - for 5 children, 11 months - for 1 child, and 12 months - for 4 children. Therefore short-term courses were conducted in 22 studies (71 %). Average length of the therapy took 295.9 days.

Conclusions: Small prevalence of tuberculosis lesion of the lungs and intrathoracic lymph nodes, age restrictions to prescribe second line anti-tuberculosis medicines and positive dynamics allow to shorten the duration of the treatment for children having MDR tuberculosis and children from the outbreaks of MDR tuberculosis and to achieve positive results.