CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS DRUG INDUCED HEPATITIS PATIENTS IN COLOMBO DISTRICT, SRI LANKA

Chathuri Weerawardana*, Sandun Undugoda, Achala Upeksha, Dimal Prathapasinghe, Chandimani Undugodage, Ananda Wijayasiri and Shamini Prathapan

ABSTRACT

Background: Tuberculosis is a prevailing disease in Sri Lanka with an estimated detection rate of 65 cases per 100 000 population. One of the main challenges experienced in tuberculosis treatment is anti- tuberculosis drug-induced hepatitis. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of tuberculosis patients who were started on anti-TB drug treatment (ATT) developing drug induced hepatitis and describe their characteristics. Methods: The study was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study at the Central chest clinic, Borella, Sri Lanka using the data extracted from the medical records of 102 tuberculosis patients who have developed drug induced hepatitis within the time period of 2013-2015 in to an extraction sheet. Patients who were already suffering from hepatitis prior to the treatment, patients with cirrhosis and patients who developed viral hepatitis during treatment were the exclusion criteria. Results: There were 6866 tuberculosis patients, out of which 102 have developed drug induced hepatitis during the treatment (1.4%). Among those 102 patients, the major proportion were less than 55 years of age (60.8%), males 56.9%. pulmonary tuberculosis (53.9%), smear-positive (63.4%), developed hepatitis after 14 days and overdosed with pyrazinamide (63.7%). Conclusions: The prevalence of anti- tuberculosis drug induced hepatitis was 1.4%. From those hepatitis patients, majority were found to be ≤55years, weight >55kg, male, pulmonary tuberculosis, smear positive, overdosed with pyrazinamide with a treatment of >14days duration.

Keywords: Prevalence, tuberculosis, hepatitis, pyrazinamide.