DRUG INDUCED HEPATITIS

Aims and Objectives: We evaluated whether HBV +ve and HCV +ve patients areat high risk for developing drug induced hepatitis than control subjects during treatment fortuberculosis with standard short course regimens. Study design: Observational cohort study.Place and duration: This study was conducted at Department of Medicine, Liaquat University ofMedical and Health Sciences Jamshoro from May 2008 to May 2011. Material and Methods: Allnewly diagnosed active tuberculosis patients were included in the study population and theywere further screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and HCV antibodies. All patients weredivided into three groups. One having no co-infection with hepatitis B and Hepatitis C and wastaken as control group, second group was co-infected with hepatitis B and third was co-infectedwith hepatitis C. short course anti tuberculous regimen was started and patients were followed forsix months. Results: One hundred and twenty eight tuberculous patients were divided into threegroups. 92 in control groups without any co-infection with hepatitis B and C, 10 were HBV +veand 26 were HCV +ve. During follow up 24 developed drug induced hepatitis, 8(38.33%, n = 24)in control group, 2(8.33%, n = 24) in hepatitis B group and 14(58.33%, n = 24) in hepatitis Cgroup. Conclusions: These findings suggest that treatment for tuberculosis in HCV seropositivepatients is a risk factor for the development of hepatitis exacerbation and HBV seropositivepatients shows no any increased risk of hepatitis exacerbation.