Potentially Serious Side Effects of High-dose Twice-weekly Rifampicin
- 7 August 1971
- Vol. 3 (5770), 343-347
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.3.5770.343
Abstract
Daily rifampicin in a single dose of 600 mg, combined with other drugs, usually streptomycin and isoniazid, was given to 49 patients for three months. It was planned to continue for another 15 months with twice-weekly rifampicin 1,200 mg plus isoniazid 900 mg, but the high incidence of side effects led to cessation of the intermittent regimen when only two patients had completed 18 months. Though there was no serious problem with daily treatment 11 patients (22%) were unable to continue rifampicin on the intermittent regimen. In 8 (16%) a pyrexial syndrome occurred. In one of these patients there was also temporary renal failure, and in another precipitous thrombocytopenia led to epistaxis and bleeding into the tongue and lips. Symptomless thrombocytopenia developed in two other patients, making three cases (6%) of thrombocytopenia in all. In 16 (33%) of the 49 patients antibodies to rifampicin were detected in the blood. Side effects occurred in 9 (56%) of these, including the three developing thrombocytopenia, but in only 2 (6%) of the 33 patients with no antibodies detected. This association of toxic reactions with antibodies is highly significant (P<0·001).Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Rifampicin in treatment of experimental tuberculosis in miceTubercle, 1969
- Rifampicin in daily and intermittent treatment of experimental murine tuberculosis, with emphasis on late resultsTubercle, 1969
- A four-year follow-up of patients with quiescent pulmonary tuberculosis at the end of a year of chemotherapy with twice-weekly isoniazid plus streptomycin or daily isoniazid plus pasTubercle, 1969
- Intermittent Chemotherapy for Tuberculosis in an Urban CommunityBMJ, 1969
- A cooperative study on rifampicin in original treatment of advanced pulmonary tuberculosis.1969
- Auto-immune hemolytic anemias.1969
- Some comparative aspects of rifampicin and isoniazidTubercle, 1968
- Antituberculous activity of rifampin in vitro and in vivo and the concentrations attained in human blood.Published by Elsevier ,1968
- Coombs'-Test Positivity Induced by DrugsAnnals of Internal Medicine, 1968
- The long-term use of intermittent streptomycin plus isoniazid in the treatment of tuberculosisTubercle, 1965