Treatment of tuberculosis of the kidney and lower urinary tract, an important clinical problem which requires our constant attention, is at present effectively carried out by chemotherapeutic means by the use of SM, PAS, INA and other drugs. On the other hand, however, the question of drug-resistance developing on the part of tubercle bacilli is emerging with increasing frequency. The author has investigated from varions angles the therapeutic effect of the administration of vitamin D
2 (V.D
2), combined with chemotherapy, on clinical and experimental tuberculosis of the kidney.
In regard to clinical use of this drug in renal tuberculosis very little is known in detail since there are only a few reports such as by Meulenaere (1946) and Stobbaerts (1949).
1) The author's observations were made on the effect of V.D
2 given to patients suffering from renal tuberculosis who were being treated with chemotherapeutic agents such as SM, PAS and INA. Special considerations were given to the problem of hypervitaminosis which is regarded to be the most important complication of V.D
2 therapy.
2) Studies were made on the fluctuations of Ca, P, alkaline and acid. phosphatases, nonprotein N, CO
2 and cholesterol, the blood constituents most closely related to V.D
2 therapy. In addition, the changes produced in blood, blood pressure, body weight and tubercle bacilli in urine were also investigated. Histopathological studies were then carried out on the excised tuberculous kidneys after periods of treasment with V.D
2 conbination. (The doses of V.D
2 administered were 600, 000 units, once weekly, with 6, 000, 000 units as one course. Some cases passed through 2-3 courses of such treatments).
The results obtained revealed marked gain in body weight, improvement in erythrocyte sedimentation rate, while the tubercle bacilli in urine became negative in both smear and culture tests upon completion of courses with 6, 000, 000 units (although the effects of chemotherapy must also be considered).
Blood chemistry disclosed increase in Ca and non-protein N, depression in alkaline phosphatase, CO
2 and cholesterol, while histological picture indicated aleviation of tuberculous lesions. There were no microscopic findings suggesting over-dosage of V.D
2.
3) The growth of tubecle bacilli on Ogawa media to which V.D
2 was incorporated to the extent of 100-2000γ/cc was clearly inhibited. The same results were also observed with the microorganism resistant to SM, PAS and INA, being particularly noticeable with the INA-resistant strain.
4) Experiencis with V.D
2 therapy in experimental renal tuberculosis.
The author made histological observations on the kidney and other organs of rabbits and standard albino mice, in which renal tuberculosis was induced experimentally after stated periods of V.D
2 therapy.
a. In rabbits the tubercle bacilli were introduced into renal artery and then V.D
2 was given in doses of 10, 000units/kg (identical to the human cases), amounting to 400, 000 units in all. Blood chemistry was studied both before and after the administration, and the animals were sacrificed and autopsied after, 1, 2, 4 and 10 weeks of therapy, with special reference to microscopic changes of the kidney.
Histological findings indicate a warked calcium deposition soon after the beginning of V.D
2 therapy but pathological pictures show little difference from the controlts. In the animals receiving treatment for 4-10 weeks. The deposition of Ca was almost disappeared and there was improvement of tuberculous lesions. This significans that the therapeutic effects of V.D
2 seem to manifest themselves late.
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