Isoniazid inactivation in Burmese subjects

ABSTRACT

Serum isoniazid concentrations have been determined chemically six hours after drug ingestion in 121 Burmese subjects. The gene frequency for rapid inactivation is 0.3884 and for slow inactivation, 0.6116 indicating that approximately 37per cent of the Burmese population treated with isoniazid carry the risk of suffering from polyneuropathy. The gene frequency is compared with that of other racial populations.