Management of tuberculosis - Choosing an effective regimen and ensuring compliance

With the introduction of effective agents against tuberculosis (TB) and the use of combinations of these agents, significant progress has been made to ward shortening the duration of therapy (ie, to 6 months) and reducing the relapse rate (ie, to <4%). In addition, use of directly observed therapy, i n which patients receive prescribed medications under direct observation of healthcare personnel, has increased compliance and decreased the emergence of drug resistance. In this article, the authors review the principles and discuss the specifics of choosing, prescribing, and monitoring drug therap y for TB.