Why Extend Continuation-Phase Treatment for 3 Months?
• Cavitary disease and positive sputum culture at 2 months associated with increased relapse in clinical trials • Extended continuation phase decreased relapses in silicotuberculosis (from 20% to 3%) Back to Treatment of Tuberculosis (2003) Slide 20: When to Extend Continuation-Phase Treatment for 3 Months? • Cavitary pulmonary disease and positive sputum cultures at completion of initial phase • Initial phase excluded PZA • Once-weekly INH and rifapentine started in continuation phase and sputum specimen collected at the end of initial phase is culture positive • HIV-infected with positive 2-month sputum culture Back to Treatment of Tuberculosis (2003) Slide 21: Algorithm to Guide Duration of Continuation-Phase Treatment for Culture-Positive TB Patients If there is high clinical suspicion for active TB, place patient on the initial-phase regimen of INH, RIF, EMB, and PZA for 2 months. If the specimen collected at the end of the initial phase (2 months) is not culture positive, then gi
