Comparative Analysis of Adverse Drug Reactions in Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) in TB Patients

This study describes the occurrences of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) caused by anti tubercular (TB) drugs employed in Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) from ten years of ADR data (from 2002 to 2012) reported in various articles. The frequency of each type of ADR was analyzed and compared. A total of 10,219 patients were studied. Among them, 8,047 (78.75%) patients demonstrated positive responses to at least one type of ADR. Dermatological reactions predominated among the ADRs which occurred in 4389 (42.95%) patients followed by hepatotoxicity in 1634 (15.99%) cases. Female patients were more prone to ADRs as compared to the male patients. The occurrence of ADRs is mainly attributed to the combination therapy along with the prolonged medication period. A colossal amount of ADRs were observed during the study which must be monitored and managed properly throughout the DOTS therapy in order to prevent life-threatening harmful effects.