CDC approves new tuberculosis treatment regimen
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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New guidelines for the treatment of the so-called "hidden" forms of tuberculosis infection significantly reduced and simplified the course of treatment from 9 months to 3 months, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The new guidelines for health authorities and medical professionals that are based on the results of three clinical trials will" change the rules of the game "in the treatment of tuberculosis in the United States," said Dr. Thomas Frieden CDC Director.
Latent tuberculosis infection is the stage of tuberculosis, when a person is infected with mycobacteria, but has no symptoms, and therefore can not be a source of infection and carry the risk of infection to surrounding people. However, if the bacteria become active, a person develops the disease, with the possibility of spreading the infection.
Some people, including children with weakened immune systems, are more likely to activate tuberculosis infection. The CDC notes that many people with a latent form of tuberculosis feel normal and do not start a nine-month course of treatment, which usually requires 270 daily doses of an isoniazid anti-tuberculosis drug. And those who start treatment often do not go through it completely.
A new treatment regimen simplifies the course of up to 12 doses of isoniazid per week along with another anti-tuberculosis drug rifapentine (rifapentine).
This combination of drugs makes it possible to reduce the course of treatment by two-thirds - from nine months to three months to prevent the progression of the active form of tuberculosis.
"If we are going to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States, we need to ensure appropriate screening and treatment for people with latent tuberculosis infection to prevent infection of others," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC Center for HIV / AIDS.
The number of people with tuberculosis in the United States remains at a record low level - more than 11,000 cases registered in 2010. Nevertheless, about 4% of the US population (11 million people) are infected with tuberculosis.
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