Adverse Effects Profile of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in a South African Outpatient Clinic

ABSTRACT

Background: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and drugs that are used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis have potentially overlapping adverse effects. Few South African studies have documented adverse effects in the multidrugresistant tuberculosis population. This study examined the adverse effects profile in a sample of the outpatient population at the King George V Hospital Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Clinic in Durban; KwaZulu-Natal.Method: The method was an anonymous; retrospective record review of 350 patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; who were attending the King George V Hospital Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Clinic (2010-2011). Adverse effect profiles in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis only; and those who were co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who were on and not on HAART; were documented and analysed.Results: Adverse events were recorded for 80.6 of patients. These included hearing loss (28.7); peripheral neuropathy (23.2); diarrhoea; nausea and vomiting (20.5); arthralgia (15.9); rashes and dermatological effects (excluding Stevens-Johnson syndrome) (14); abdominal pain and dyspepsia (10.3); and psychoses and confusion (8.3). In this study population; 72.6 of patients were HIV positive; and 85 were concomitantly on HAART and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment. Adverse events were significantly more common in patients who were HIV positive than in patients who were HIV negative with regard to peripheral neuropathy (p-value 0.001); psychosis and confusion (p-value