EVALUATION OF ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS INDUCED ADVERSE REACTIONS IN PATIENTS OF BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

Objective: Pakistan is ranked 5th in the world in terms of having immense Tuberculosis (TB) burden. During the course of TB treatment, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to anti-TB drugs are a killer problem. Therefore, the present study was conducted on 200 TB patients to explore the incidence of ADRs due to anti-TB drugs. Methods: This is a multicenter study conducted at two public healthcare institutes of Quetta city, Pakistan. Data of 200 patients was screened from the official records and evaluated to identify variables of interest. All necessary diagnostic tests were performed before starting the therapy and after every 2 months during the study. Data was collected through a validated information sheet. Descriptive SPSS v.20 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 200 patients were enrolled in the study. In this study, most frequently reported ADR was fever (163, 84.5%) followed by nausea (152, 76%) and epigastric pain (117, 58.5%). Interestingly, the most commonly reported ADR in literature (constipation and weight gain) were least reported in the current study. Thirty nine (19.5%) patients were admitted to hospital during the study because of the observed ADRs. During the study, 46 (23%) patients were given re-challenge to ADRs and were managed by giving additional medicines with TB drug treatment regimen. One hundred and eighty three I(91.5%) patients from both hospitals were given a complete 6 months therapy. However, 5 (2.5%) patients died during the therapy and 12 (6%) patients underwent therapy discontinuation because of unidentified reasons. Conclusion: Majority of the patients experienced ADRs and the management of most ARDs was done by therapy modifications. It was also observed during the study that some patients did not report common and clinically mild ADRs, so it is the duty of health practitioners to interrogate and investigate the patients keenly. Health practitioner should also take immediate actions to combat the ADRs and improve the patient's quality of life. Keywords: Pulmonary tuberculosis, anti-tuberculosis, adverse drug reactions, Baluchistan, Pakistan