The author made investigation on 29 cases that suffered from exacerbation during or shortly after the discontinuance of chemotherapy for pulmonary tuberculosis which had been continued more than 6 and half months and less than 43 months. The results obtained were as follows:
1) The occurrence of exacerbation was more frequent among the cases under 30 years of age group, the cases with their original foci in the upper pulmonary field, infiltratory cases, the cases with extensive foci, and those with cavity and those with bacillary expectoration.
2) Among the 29 cases of exacerbation, 14 cases showed hemoptysis. It seems to suggest relative frequency of hemoptysis among the cases of exacerbation during or after chem otherapy.
3) The occurrence of exacerbation during chemotherapy was relatively more frequent among the cases treated with INH and PAS and the cases treated with SM in combination, and among the cases in which the administration of SM had been discontinued.
4) The frequency of exacerbation was lower in case the chemotherapy was continued for longer term and the higher, the shorter. It was quite high among the cases with their chemotherapy discontinued in less than 24 months.
5) The larger the amount of chemotherapeutics administered, the lower the frequency. It was particularly high in the cases given below 100g of SM or 4, 000g of PAS in total, and was relatively high in the cases in which less than 45g of INH was administered.
6) The exacerbation occurred most frequently within 2 months after the shift of the kind of chemotherapy or its partial or total discontinuance.
7) No special correlation between drug-resistance and exacerbation could be established.
8) By subsequent continuance or resumption of chemotherapy, alleviation was roentgenographically observed in 12 of the 29 cases.
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