Cutaneous adverse drug reactions in patients with peripheral blood eosinophilia during antituberculosis treatment

DRESS syndrome and tuberculosis: Implementation of a desensitization and re-desensitization protocol to recover antituberculosis drugs in a case series at a specialized TB Unit in Lima, Peru

RATIONALE

Antituberculosis drugs (ATDs) could cause severe and rare reactions, such as Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. Recovering ATDs might guarantee a higher cure rate for tuberculosis patients. Our aim was to evaluate the results of desensitization and re-desensitization to recover ATDs in a case series of patients with DRESS syndrome.

PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSES

A retrospective case series study was conducted on patients with DRESS syndrome due to therapy with ATDs from 2021 to 2023. Desensitization and re-desensitization protocols, designed with an algorithm proposed by the Tuberculosis Specialized Unit of the Dos de Mayo National Hospital in Lima, Peru, were implemented.

INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES

A total of 18 patients underwent desensitization or re-desensitization protocols, achieving an overall success rate of 72.2%. The average time for the development of DRESS syndrome due to ATDs was 19 days. Rifampicin (84.2%), isoniazid (68.4%), and pyrazinamide (26.3%) were identified as the main drugs responsible for this adverse reaction. All patients presented with fever and skin rash, with an average eosinophil percentage of 16.7% (interquartile range: 4.5-28.8). Organ involvement (liver, kidney, and heart) was observed in 8 patients, but only 2 patients experienced severe complications due to DRESS syndrome. A significant association was found between the number of ATDs used and eosinophil levels (P =.03).

LESSONS

The study introduced a desensitization and re-desensitization algorithm for the treatment of DRESS syndrome, notable for its safety, adaptability, and high success rate. This advancement provided healthcare professionals with safer and more effective therapeutic approaches for managing this complex condition.

Breaking barriers: The potential of nanosystems in antituberculosis therapy

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, continues to pose a significant threat to global health. The resilience of TB is amplified by a myriad of physical, biological, and biopharmaceutical barriers that challenge conventional therapeutic approaches. This review navigates the intricate landscape of TB treatment, from the stealth of latent infections and the strength of granuloma formations to the daunting specters of drug resistance and altered gene expression. Amidst these challenges, traditional therapies often fail, contending with inconsistent bioavailability, prolonged treatment regimens, and socioeconomic burdens. Nanoscale Drug Delivery Systems (NDDSs) emerge as a promising beacon, ready to overcome these barriers, offering better drug targeting and improved patient adherence. Through a critical approach, we evaluate a spectrum of nanosystems and their efficacy against MTB both in vitro and in vivo. This review advocates for the intensification of research in NDDSs, heralding their potential to reshape the contours of global TB treatment strategies.

DRESS syndrome due to anti-TB drugs: A complex case with successful re-desensitization of group A drugs

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a rare, life-threatening adverse reaction caused by certain medications. Clinical findings usually include rash, fever, lymphadenopathy, and eosinophilia, and in some cases, they may affect major organs. This reaction caused by antituberculosis (TB) medication poses a public health risk due to treatment discontinuation, adherence, or success in cure. We present a 23-year-old female patient who developed DRESS syndrome as a result of group A anti-TB drugs (ATDs), an exceedingly rare occurrence. The patient's medication was successfully retrieved using a re-desensitization protocol.

Hypersensitivity reactions with first-line antituberculosis drugs and outcomes of rapid desensitizations

Background

Data about drug hypersensitivity reactions with first-line antituberculosis drugs and their management is limited. Rapid drug desensitization seems to be an appropriate management.

Objective

Evaluate the efficacy of the rapid desensitization protocols in patients who had a reaction phenotypically compatible with immediate-type drug hypersensitivity with first-line antituberculosis drugs and identify possible risk factors of breakthrough reactions during the protocols.

Methods

This is a retrospective study of active tuberculosis patients who had a reaction phenotypically compatible with immediate-type drug hypersensitivity with first-line antituberculosis drugs and underwent desensitization with the drugs used during the reaction. Characteristics of drug hypersensitivity and breakthrough reactions, and outcomes of rapid desensitizations were recorded.

Results

One hundred and seventy-nine patients were included in the study. Most of the initial reactions (n = 132, 73.7%) occurred within the first week of treatment and were mild (n = 146, 81.6%). A total of 690 desensitizations were performed. Desensitizations were successfully completed without any breakthrough reaction in 103 (57.5%) patients and in 29 of 36 (80.6%) patients after a breakthrough reaction. The overall success of desensitizations were found to be 95% (132 of 139 patients). Most of the breakthrough reactions (84%) were mild. Sixteen patients had breakthrough reactions with multiple drugs. Although pyrazinamide was the most common culprit of breakthrough reactions and had the lowest desensitization success, it had the highest rate of a single breakthrough reaction (p < 0.001). Timing of the initial reaction and concomitant breakthrough reaction with ethambutol were found to have increased the risk for breakthrough reaction caused by rifampicin (p = 0.017 and p = 0.010 respectively).

Conclusion

The rapid desensitization protocols used in this study provide a successful and effective management of the patients with a reaction phenotypically compatible with immediate-type drug hypersensitivity with first-line antituberculosis drugs.

Adverse Drug Reactions Related to Treatment of Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis in Brazil: A Prospective Cohort Study

Standard anti-tuberculosis treatment is highly effective, but a great challenge is the management of adverse drug reactions (ADR). Our study aimed to characterize ADR according to type, severity and time of occurrence. A prospective tuberculosis (TB) cohort has been followed, from 2010 to 2016, at a reference center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Clinical and laboratory tests information were collected in all visits. ADR were described according to the affected organ/system, classified as clinical and/or laboratory, early (first 2 months) or late. ADR’s causality and intensity were assessed. In our study 552 patients were included, 78.8% presented at least one ADR, 34% were people living with HIV (PLHIV). Most ADR were clinical (53%), early (82.5%), mild/moderate (88.7%) events and of “metabolic annutritional disorders” category. There were no significant differences in type, severity or causality between “early” and “late” groups. However, “early” group presented a higher frequency of “metabolic and nutritional disorders” (27.8%) and “gastrointestinal system disorders” (23.5%), while “skin and appendages disorders” were more frequent in the “late” group. ADR are frequent and occur at any time during treatment, although the majority are early and grade and not severe.

High occurrence of simultaneous multiple-drug hypersensitivity syndrome induced by first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs

Background

Multiple drug hypersensitivity syndrome (MDHS) results in treatment delay or failure and often results in severe drug hypersensitivity reactions. There are few reports of MDHS in response to anti-tuberculosis drugs; however, clinical information is scarce. Understanding the frequency and clinical characteristics of simultaneous MDHS against first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs in patients with non-severe drug hypersensitivity reactions is necessary.

Methods

We reviewed 27 patients with drug fever or maculopapular exanthem in response to first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs between January 2010 and June 2019. Drug fever or maculopapular exanthem occurred when isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide were administered simultaneously. Drug provocation tests for the 4 drugs were performed to identify the culprit drugs.

Results

All patients showed positive reactions to 1 or more drugs. MDHS was diagnosed in 13 (48%) patients, of whom 11 and 2 patients reacted to 2 and 3 drugs, respectively. In comparison to the patients with single-drug hypersensitivity, the patients with MDHS did not exhibit any differences in characteristics. Ethambutol and rifampin were the common drugs that induced a reaction, and the combination of these 2 drugs induced MDHS most frequently. Among the patients with MDHS, there were no differences between the drugs that caused drug fever and maculopapular exanthem. All patients with MDHS were successfully treated with alternative drugs.

Conclusions

Simultaneous MDHS may occur frequently in patients with drug fever or maculopapular exanthem caused by first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, indicating the need to evaluate the allergy responses for all 4 drugs, even in patients without severe drug hypersensitivity. The combination of ethambutol and rifampin was the most common trigger that induced MDHS.

Hypersensitivity reactions to multiple anti-tuberculosis drugs

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate hypersensitivity reactions to anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs.

Methods

We retrospectively compared the clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes of single and multiple drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs).

Results

Twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with anti-TB DHRs using oral drug provocation tests. Of these 28 patients, 17 patients (60.7%) had DHRs to a single drug and 11 (39.3%) had multiple DHRs. The median age of patients was 57.5 years (interquartile range [IQR], 39.2–73.2). Of the total patients, 18 patients (64.3%) were men. The median number of anti-TB drugs causing multiple DHRs was 2.0 (IQR 2.0–3.0). Rifampin was the most common drug that caused DHRs in both the single and multiple DHR groups (n = 8 [47.1%] and n = 9 [52.9%], respectively). The treatment success rate was lower in the multiple DHR group than in the single DHR group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (81.8% vs. 94.1%; P = 0.543).

Conclusions

Multiple anti-TB DHRs were common in all patients who experienced DHRs, and rifampin was the most common causative drug. The treatment outcomes appeared to be poorer in patients with multiple DHRs than in those with single DHRs.

The high incidence of severe adverse events due to pyrazinamide in elderly patients with tuberculosis

Background

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a common drug that causes serious adverse events (SAEs). The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for SAEs due to PZA during first-line anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Methods

The medical records of patients with tuberculosis (TB) treated with PZA-containing regimens including first-line drugs—ethambutol, rifampicin, and isoniazid—from January 2003 to June 2016 were reviewed. SAEs were defined as side effects that led to drug discontinuation. The causative drug was determined based on the disappearance of the SAEs upon drug withdrawal and/or the recurrence of the same SAEs with re-challenge.

Results

Of 2,478 patients with TB, 16.4% experienced SAEs. The incidence of SAEs increased significantly as age increased, except with rifampin. PZA accounted for most SAEs (55.8%). Hepatotoxicity was the most common SAE due to PZA (44.5%), followed by gastrointestinal (GI) intolerance (23.8%). The risk of SAEs due to PZA increased significantly as age increased, when sex and comorbidities were adjusted (odds ratio, 1.013; 95% confidence interval, 1.004–1.023; P = 0.007). In the subgroup analysis, older age was an independent risk factor for GI intolerance but not for hepatotoxicity.

Conclusion

PZA was the most common drug associated with SAEs among the first-line anti-TB drugs, and old age was an independent factor for SAE occurrence. This study suggests that the early recognition of whether the causative agent is PZA may improve effective treatment compliance, particularly in elderly patients.