HEPATOTOXICITY OF ANTITUBERCULOSIS THERAPY (RIFAMPICIN, ISONIAZID ANDPYRAZINAMIDE) OR VIRAL-HEPATITIS

Setting: Department of Chest Diseases, Gazi University Faculty of Medi cine and Ataturk Chest Diseases Hospital. Ankara, Turkey. Objective: T he primary purpose of this study was to assess the contributory role o f viral hepatitis in antituberculosis drug hepatotoxicity. Design: Ser ologic markers for viral hepatitis were studied in 57 patients who dev eloped acute hepatitis during antituberculosis therapy with rifampicin and isoniazid. Results: Among 705 adult tuberculous patients, 57 (8.1 %) developed acute hepatitis during therapy with rifampicin and isonia zid. Serologic markers confirmed the presence of hepatitis B in 6 (10. 5%) and hepatitis C in 4 (7%) of the 57 patients. Acute hepatitis A wa s not diagnosed in any of the patients. Conclusion: Hepatitis occurrin g during antituberculosis therapy may not be drug-induced in all patie nts. Apart from the other factors mentioned above the endemicity of vi ral hepatitis in developing countries could be responsible for the hig her incidence of antituberculosis-drug hepatitis.