Main Category: Tuberculosis
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 7:00 PST
email to a friend 
printer friendly 
opinions 
An investigation led by Timothy Sterling, M.D., professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has resulted in a vital alteration in CDC recommendations in the plan of prevention for tuberculosis (TB). The study was published December 8 in New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
On December 9 in the Morbidity and Mortality Week Report (MMWR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the novel method, which takes one-third the time of current treatment, provides several individuals at a high risk of developing TB an effective treatment option. Latent TB infections result from exposure to TB - the infecting bacteria are alive in the body, but inactive.
Until now, the treatment for latent TB infection involved patients taking daily doses of a medication called isoniazid (INH). Over the course of nine months, a total of 270 daily doses were taken in order to destroy the bacteria, which can remain dormant in the body for several years.
The study, which consisted of 8,000 individuals in 4 countries over a 10 year period, demonstrated that just 12 doses of INH combined with another TB medication called rifapentine, taken once-weekly was safe and effective. In addition the novel therapy improved compliance by at least 10%
Sterling explained:
"This is a game changer. Currently less than half of the people who start the current therapy complete it. The new combination would require a direct observation, but more people would complete treatment."
The CDC explained that although cases of active TB are at an all-time low, around 4% of individuals in the U.S., or 11 million people, have latent TB. Active TB cases, which can be potentially fatal to individuals who have a compromised immune system, still occur in Nashville. In order to prevent a return of active and infections disease, the Metro Nashville Public Health Department's Division of TB Elimination works with an average of 700 novel cases of latent TB every year.
One of the locations for the investigation was The Metro Nashville Public Health. The study received funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other Vanderbilt investigators included Amy Kerrigan, MSN, R.N., and Alicia Wright, among others.?
Sterling says further research is vital. The novel treatment is not an option for all patients, and may not work well in countries with a higher TB incidence. Children under 2 were excluded from the investigation.
Written by: Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
MLA
12 Dec. 2011.
Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.
Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.
All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)
Contact Our News Editors
For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.
Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:
Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
