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A team led by researchers from St.
George’s, University of London, reviewed results of 41 TB studies conducted
between 1955 and 2012 and found there were 17 percent less deaths among
patients taking anti-TB drugs and corticosteroids (steroids) in comparison to
patients taking only anti-TB drugs.
While most TB cases are the
pulmonary form of TB, other forms of TB can attack almost any organ. The review
included pulmonary, pericarditis, meningitis, peritonitis, and pleurisy TB
studies. The team analyzed data from 41 major TB trials on the efficacy of
corticosteroids, which are based on adrenal gland hormones, in combination with
anti-TB drugs. The study included 3,560 patients who had received both TB drugs
and steroids, and 2,982 who had received only TB drugs. The participants’
treatment regimens varied in dosage and duration.
Prof. Julia A Critchley, DPhil,
reports that, regardless of the TB form, adding steroids to anti-TB drugs
lowered the risk of death for all patients. Until now, steroids have only been
proved effective as a secondary treatment for meningitis and pericarditis forms
of TB. Critchley cautioned that before recommending steroids for all TB
patients, further studies should address the benefits of steroids in
combination with current TB drugs and consider whether the benefits of steroids
outweigh harmful side effects. The most effective current anti-TB drug,
Rifampicin, was not available during the 19 trials conducted prior to 1983.
Taking steroids makes patients more vulnerable to other infections.
Research associate Fiona Young
stated that the presence of drug-resistant forms of TB and the effects of HIV
on TB treatment underscore the importance of understanding the benefits of
steroid treatment.
The full report, “Corticosteroids
for Prevention of Mortality in People with Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review
and Meta-analysis,” was published online in the journal The Lancet Infectious
Diseases (2013; doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(12)70321-3.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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