How is TB treated?
Once tuberculosis is suspected treatment should be started. The treatment regimen recommended by the World Health Organisation includes at least three and preferably four specific antibiotics. They are called isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. For convenience they may be given in a combination tablet which combines the antibiotics in a single tablet. Treatment must continue for at least six months though the number of antibiotics can be reduced once the bacterium’s sensitivity has been found by the laboratory. There has been a recent increase of drug-resistant tuberculosis both in the UK and world wide. It is of concern that a disease which still represents the commonest cause of death from a single infectious agent is becoming resistant to treatment. The main cause of resistant disease is patients failing to take their treatment as prescribed.
