Abstract
Yearly increase of expense for drugs is one of the biggest troubles in the management of national sanatorium where there is restriction by the general account.
Here we have investigated whether these is any relation between the cost of antituberculosis drugs used for treatment and the severity of patient's symptoms in the study of 485 pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
In 35 percent out of 485 cases, the weekly cost of antituberculosis drugs was between 284 and 420 yen. Most of these patients were treated by combination therapy of SM, INH and PAS. Only in 9 percent of all patients, the weekly coat exceeded 700 yen as a result of treatment including one of three drugs KM, CS or TH. This low percentage is probably due to the fact that these data were collected just after revision of Therapeutic Standard of Tuberculosis (Tuberculosis Prevention Law).
Although it is roughly decided by Therapeutic Standard of 'Tuberculosis, final decision how to combine several antituberculosis drugs depends not only on patient's symptoms but also on the several factors such as GAKKEN classification, N. T. A. classification, result of microscopic examination of sputum for tubercle bacilli and sensitivity test, tuberculoss complication, history of operation, time from the onset of the disease and the opinion of the attending physician.
Degree of rest which is decided by putting all these factors together has close relation to the cost of antituberculosis drugs for each patient, In the group of patients exercising fifth degree of rest the weekly cost of antituberculosis drugs was less than 420 yen and in the majority of this group the weekly cost was less than 200 yen or no medication was required. In the group of patients with first degree of rest, the weekly cost exceeded 2000 yen in 33 percent.
In conclusion, degree of rest seems to be reliable standard in estimating the cost of antituberculosis drugs for each patient.
