The treatment of tuberculous meningitis in children with a combination of isoniazid, rifampicin and streptomycin--preliminary report

Abstract

Twenty two children with tuberculous meningitis were treated with isoniazid, streptomycin and rifampicin and 19 were treated with isoniazid, PAS and streptomycin for at least 18 months. Both groups received corticosteroids at the beginning of treatment. The 2 groups were compared for clinical and neurological improvement, rate of recovery, the presence of neurological sequelae and for mortality. The drug toxicity of both regimens was also compared. The rate of recovery in the first 2 months of treatment was slightly more rapid in group I than in group II and neurological sequelae were less frequent in group I than in group II, but the differences between the groups were not statistically significant. There was very little difference in the death rate in both groups. A high incidence of jaundice was found amongst the children who received rifampicin.