[Lomefloxacin in phthisiatric practice]

Abstract

The efficacy and safety of lomefloxacin in the treatment of patients with hepatitis due to the use of routine antituberculosis agents were estimated. The trial group included 20 patients (10 with increased activity of enzymes such as alanine and asparagine transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamate dehydrogenase) who were treated for various forms of tuberculosis with antitubeculosis drugs. The treatment course with lomefloxacin was 4 weeks (400 mg twice a day at 12-hour intervals). The criteria of the enrolment to the trial group were a more than 2-3 times higher activity of the enzymes and the absence of the markers of the virus hepatitis A, B and C. The therapy efficacy before and after the use of lomefloxacin was estimated clinically and by the findings of the laboratory and instrumental investigations. As a result of the treatment with lomefloxacin normalization of the enzyme activity and a favourable time course of the main disease were observed in the patients with drug hepatitis due to the use of antituberculosis agents requiring continuation of the antituberculosis therapy. An important result of the complex treatment with lomefloxacin and antituberculosis agents was discontinuation of the tubercle bacilli isolation in 70 per cent of the patients. Lomefloxacin proved to be a safe and efficient up-to-date agent for the treatment of tuberculosis in patients with hepatitis due to the use of antituberculosis drugs.