ANTITUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY - ROLE OF PREDICTIVE FACTORS

Antituberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity is quite common. However, factors predicting its development are still controversial. The objec tive of the present study was to evaluate the role of certain factors (age and sex of the patient, alcoholism, chronic liver disease, hepati tis B virus carrier status, acetylator status, nutritional status and antituberculosis treatment (ATT) regimen) in predicting the developmen t of ATT-induced hepatitis. In a case-control study, 60 consecutive pa tients with evidence of ATT-induced hepatitis were studied to assess t he possible association of the above-mentioned factors with ATT-induce d hepatitis. Body mass index was found to be significantly lower in AT T-induced hepatitis patients (17.2 +/- 2.7) than in controls (19.5 +/- 3.3) (p<0.05). Pyrazinamide was used in addition to isoniazid and rif ampicin in a significantly higher percentage patients in the ATT-induc ed hepatitis group (70%) as compared with those in the control group ( 42%). No significant differences were observed between the two groups with regard to the rest of the parameters.