Objective: This study determined the incidence of and risk factors for color-vision abnormalities among Filipino patients undergoing directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) for tuberculosis. Methods: A prospective single-cohort study involving newly diagnosed patients with category-1 tuberculosis, recruited from DOTS health centers in Manila, was conducted. All patients were given a fixed-dose combination of rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide for 60 days, after which treatment was continued with rifampicin and isoniazid for 4 more months. The participants underwent complete eye evaluation including color-vision testing and were followed up every month up to the conclusion of treatment. Results: Out of 93 patients initially enrolled, 64 completed the prescribed follow-up and constituted the study group. Baseline color vision was normal. After 1 month of therapy, color vision tested with the Ishihara plates remained normal in all patients, but one failed the Farnsworth Panel D 15 and was classified as tritan while 30 (47.88%) failed the Lanthony Desaturated test. The type of abnormality was unclassified in 20 (66.67 %)patients and tritan in 10 (33.3%). Visual acuity remained unchanged from baseline. Repeat testing after ethambutol and pyrazinamide were stopped showed that color vision was normal using the Ishihara plates and the Farnsworth test, while 5 failed the Lanthony test. Of these, 3 were unclassified and 2 were tritan. In the 3rd to 6th months follow-up, no color-vision abnormalities were noted in the 3 tests. The only risk factor identified was age (p = 0.01) with older patients having a higher risk. Conclusion The incidence of color-vision abnormalities among patients undergoing DOTS was 47.88% using the Lanthony Desaturated test after an average of 39.66 days on quadruple anti-TB therapy. Age was the only significant risk factor observed. The color-vision abnormalities returned to normal within an average of 37.85 days after discontinuing ethambutol and pyrazinamide.
Ethambutol ; Tuberculosis ; Color Vision

Objectives: To determine the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) in eyes with ethambutol-induced toxic optic neuropathy (ETON) at the time of diagnosis and to describe the visual outcomes at 1, 3, and 6 months after discontinuation of ethambutol Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 8 patients (15 eyes) diagnosed with ETON that had RNFL thickness measurements using Cirrus® spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) at the time of diagnosis. Visual function was measured on initial visit and at 1, 3, and 6-month follow-up. Snellen visual acuity was converted to logMAR. Color vision was measured using Ishihara 14-plate test chart. Results: The mean duration from commencement of ethambutol intake to onset of visual symptoms was 16 weeks (range: 8-24). While, the mean duration from onset of visual symptoms to discontinuation of ethambutol was 4 weeks (range: 2-14). The mean global RNFL thickness at time of diagnosis was 101.2 ± 17.0 microns. Mean RNFL in the temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior sectors were as follows: 79.2 ± 15.4, 119.7 ± 27.9, 71.7 ± 9.2, and 136.7 ± 25.8 microns. Global and sectoral RNFL thicknesses were either normal or thick when compared to age-matched normal database. No eye displayed global or sectoral RNFL thinning. Mean baseline visual acuity and color vision were logMAR 1.2 and 5 plates, respectively. At 1, 3, and 6 months after discontinuation of ethambutol, mean visual acuity and color vision were 0.96 and 6, 0.63 and 11, and 0.44 and 13, respectively. Conclusion Patients with early ETON have normal or thick RNFL at time of diagnosis. They display good visual recovery 6 months following discontinuation of ethambutol.
Ethambutol ; Toxic Optic Neuropathy ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

Objective: To determine if vitamin supplementation can prevent the development of color vision abnormalities in patients taking ethambutol as part of DOTS for tuberculosis (TB). Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind clinical trial was conducted among newly diagnosed category-1 TB patients enrolled in DOTS health centers in the third district of Manila from June 2011 to August 2012. Before starting therapy, the participants underwent a complete eye evaluation including baseline color vision tests using the Ishihara Color Vision Plates (Ishihara), Farnsworth Panel D-15 (FD 15), and Lanthony Desaturated D-15. Only subjects who passed the three color vision tests were included in the study. They were divided into 2 groups: Group A received vitamin supplementation and Group B received a placebo. Follow-up color vision testing was done monthly for 3 months. Results: There were 105 patients included in the study, 77 males and 28 females, age ranging from 16 to 68 years with a mean of 37 years. Forty three (43) patients received vitamin supplementation (group A) and 62 received placebo (group B). After one month of DOTS, 5 of 43 patients (11. 6%) in group A and 10 of 62 patients (16.1%) in group B developed color vision abnormalities, detected only with the Lanthony Desaturated test. The absolute risk reduction (ARR) of color vision abnormalities by vitamin supplementation was 4.5%, with the number needed to treat (NNT) of 23. After the second month of therapy, ARR was 7.4% and NNT was 14. ARR was highest in the third month at 8.3%, with a corresponding decreased NNT of 12. Among patients who developed color vision abnormalities, reversal of the abnormalities was observed in 80% of 5 subjects in group A, and 40% of 10 patients in group B. By the third month of treatment, all in group A already had normal color vision, while 40% in group B still showed abnormal color vision. Conclusion This study showed that vitamin supplementation was effective in reducing the risk of, and in reversing cases of, color vision abnormalities among patients undergoing DOTS therapy for tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis ; Ethambutol ; Color Vision ; Optic Neuritis

BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) strains rely on the prompt availability of drug susceptibility test results. We evaluated the reliability and turnaround time of MGIT 960 system, automated version of the MGIT, for antimicrobial susceptibility test of Mycobacteria tuberculosis. METHODS: Ninety six isolates have been tested for susceptibility to isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), ethambutol (EMB) and streptomycin (SM). Results were compared with those obtained by traditional solid media (absolute concentration method, indirect method). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the susceptibility testing results of the two methods except for EMB. Discrepant results were obtained for 8 isolates (8.3%) with INH, for 3 isolates (3.1%) with RIF, for 13 isolates (13.5%) with EMB, for 10 isolates (10.4%) with SM. Using the indirect method as the gold standard, the sensitivity of INH, RIF, EMB and SM susceptibility testing by the MGIT system were 94.1%, 98.8%, 86.7% and 90.0%, respectively. The specificity were 85.7%, for INH and RIF and 83.3%, for EMB and SM. Turnaround times were significant shorter in MGIT (average 12 days) than in solid media (average 57 days) (P < 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that the MGIT system is accurate and rapid for INH, RIF and SM susceptibility test of M. tuberculosis, but EMB susceptibility testing requires further evaluation.
Ethambutol ; Isoniazid ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Rifampin ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Streptomycin ; Tuberculosis

Author presented nine patients of eye toxicity from Ethambutol. They used daily the drug, 15~30mg per kilogram body weight during the period of one month to six months. With the relationship of drug induced toxic amblyopia and optic neuritis, seven patients out of nine showed severe visual disturbance. Five of them have the peripheral constriction. Three cases showed relative ring scotoma and one case showed relative central scotoma.
Amblyopia ; Body Weight ; Constriction ; Ethambutol* ; Humans* ; Optic Neuritis ; Scotoma

A 73-year-old female patient, who had been treated with antituberculous drugs for 4 months, was referred to our department because of generalized macules and papules present for 15 days. Clinical examination revealed polygonal, flat papules of erythematous to violaceous hue on the entire skin. Histopathologic findings were similar to those of lichen planus. In a provocation test with ethambutol, the skin lesions were aggravated and the new lesions developed. We considered this case to be a lichenoid drug eruption due to ethambutol. The skin lesions gradually cleared after ethambutol was eliminated from the patient's tuberculosis therapy.
Aged ; Drug Eruptions* ; Ethambutol* ; Female ; Humans ; Lichen Planus ; Skin ; Tuberculosis

Lichenoid drug eruption is lichenoid skin eruptions caused by certain drugs and compounds, and can be identical or similiar to lichen planus. A 75-year-old woman who had taken antituberculosis medication(INH, ethambutol, rifampin) for 4 months developed pruritic generalized erythematous papular eruptions on the trunk and extremities, alopecia and nail dystropy. Histopathologic findings were hyperkeratosis, hypergranulosis, hyc rophic degenaration of basal layer, band like lymphohistiocytic infiltration in the upper dermis and perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltration in the deep dermis. She was treated with systemic corticosteroid, and then skin lesion were slightly improved. After termination of antituberculosis medication, skin lesions were markedly improved with residual hyperpigmentation. Alopecia and nail dystrophy were also improved.
Aged ; Alopecia ; Dermis ; Drug Eruptions* ; Ethambutol ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Lichen Planus ; Skin

The incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in pediatric populations is a critical indicator of national TB management and treatment strategies. Limited data exist regarding the rate of pediatric DR-TB. In this study, we aimed to analyze the status of DR-TB in Korean children from 2007 to 2013. We analyzed specimens submitted to the Korean Institute of Tuberculosis using Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and drug susceptibility tests (DSTs) from January 2007 through December 2013. Specimens from patients ≤ 19 years of age were included. Among the 2,690 cases, 297 cases were excluded because of insufficient data, leaving 2,393 cases for the final analysis. In total, resistance to one or more TB drugs was 13.5%. The resistance rates of each of the drugs were as follows: isoniazid (INH) 10.2%, rifampin (RFP) 5.1%, ethambutol (EMB) 3.7%, and pyrazinamide (PZA) 3.1%. The resistance rate of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) was 4.2%, and that of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) was 0.8%. The overall drug resistance rate demonstrated significant increase throughout the study period (P < 0.001) but showed no significant difference compared to previous study from 1999 to 2007. The drug resistance rate of PZA in ≤ 15 years of age group was significantly greater than that of > 15 years (P < 0.001). The drug resistance rate has increased throughout the study period.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Drug Resistance ; Ethambutol ; Humans ; Incidence ; Isoniazid ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant*

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis is a granlomatous lymphadenitis which is the most common extra-plumonary tuberculosis in Korea. There are several controversies about the methods and the duration for the treatment of the disease. METHODS: We have studied 208 cases of tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis which were treated at Chung-Goo Sung-Shim Hospital from January 1992 to December 1996. RESULTS: The result of the study are as follows: The most prevalent age group was the third decade followed by the fourth decade. For the sexual distribution, females predominated over males by 1.9 to 1. the unilateral location was the most common one (76.2%). The most frequent lesion was on the anterior cervical triangle (28.6%) Simple excision was performed in 194 cases and incision plus drainage in 14 cases. Antituberculous medication was applied to the patients in two different groups. Isoniazid, Rifampin and Ethambutol were administered every day to the patients in one of the groups. To the other group, Pyrazinamide was additionally administered - Isoniazid, Rifampin, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide were administered every day. The average duration of medication for the former group was 13 months, and that for the latter group was 11 months. We experienced 17 cases of recurrence in both groups. The recurrence rate was 3.7% (4 cases) for the group with Pyrazinamide included and 13.0% (13 cases) for the other. For the patients with recurrence who were treated with the pyrazinamide, extending the medication from 6 to 12 months brought about a complete treatment for all cases. However, for the cases of recurrence in the other group, in which Pyrazinamide were not applied, only 8 cases were treated completely by 12 months after the additional administration of Pyrazinamide. Surgical treatment was performed for the remaining 5 cases, and all 5 cases were cured completely after additional antituberculous medication for 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the best choice for the treatment of tuberculous cervical lymphadenintis is the use of both surgical excision and antituberculous medication. In addition, the use of Pyrazinamide is recommended for the antituberculous medication.
Drainage ; Ethambutol ; Female ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Korea ; Lymphadenitis* ; Male ; Pyrazinamide ; Recurrence ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is prevalent and remains a major public health problem in South Korea. Joint committee for the development of Korean guidelines for TB has published a guideline for the treatment of TB recently. The aim of this guideline is to provide evidence based practical recommendations to clinicians caring TB patients in South Korea. Treatment regimen for the newly diagnosed TB is divided into 2 months of initial intensive phase (isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide) followed by 4 months of maintenance phase (isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol). Ethambutol may be dropped from the regimen after 2 months of treatment if bacilli is susceptible to isoniazid and rifampin (2HREZ/4HR). Because stopping medical treatment by the patient is most serious problem in the treatment of TB, this guideline emphasizes education and supervision of the patients to ensure patient's adherence to taking medicines.
Dietary Sucrose ; Ethambutol ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Joints ; Organization and Administration ; Public Health ; Republic of Korea ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis