Wu J C, Lee S D, Yeh P F, Chan C Y, Wang Y J, Huang Y S, Tsai Y T, Lee P Y, Ting L P, Lo K J
Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Gastroenterology. 1990 Feb;98(2):502-4. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(90)90846-s.
From January 1984-December 1987, 1783 patients received combination therapy of isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol for the control of tuberculosis. Forty-two developed symptomatic hepatitis during the period of treatment. Fifteen were hepatitis B virus carriers, and the remaining 27 were noncarriers. The peak serum transaminase and bilirubin levels were higher in carriers. Seven carriers died of fulminant or subacute hepatic failure, and only 1 noncarrier died. Eleven carriers had detectable serum hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid during the acute stage of hepatitis. The roles of isoniazid-rifampin combination therapy and hepatitis B virus in the adverse outcomes of carriers were discussed.
