RESUMO
Between April 1987 and April 1988, 11 children with the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, have been treated with a short-course chemotherapy consisting in the administration of isoniacid (10-20 mg/kg, maximum 300 mg), rifampicin (10-20 mg/kg, maximum 600 mg), ethambutol (15-25 mg/kg, maximum 2.5 g) and pyraxinamide (15-30 mg/kg, maximum 2g) daily for two months, followed by the administration of isoniacid and rifampicin at the same dosage, daily, for the next four months. The results were excellent, symptoms cleared in few days and laboratory values and radiographic alterations cleared in few weeks. Only one of the children had to discontinue the therapy for a pyrazinamide intoleration. The advantages of this treatment are evident, short-course suppose greater comfort for the patient, a better observance of the therapy and less cost with a similar efficacy and without a larger incidence of adverse effects. We conclude that this therapy could be in children so useful than in adults, although more studies with larger series are needed.
