Tuberculosis and multi drug resistance

Danger

It is likely that a patient undergoing treatment will feel much better after two months. If he quits treatment then, the illness may recur and become drug-resistant. Any incomplete treatment, whether badly prescribed or imperfectly followed, often leads to drug resistance. A patient who develops resistance to maximum-strength drugs Rifampicin and Isoniazid becomes difficult to cure. We call such a patient a multi drug-resistant case. To be cured, a patient must follow a costly, rather toxic treatment. This is not obtainable everywhere.

The spreading of drug resistant diseases

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease. However, a patient who suffers from a drug-resistant disease will pass on this variant to other individuals. If they fall ill, their illness will be drug-resistant from the start.

DOTS

The Directly Observed Treatment Strategy was introduced to fight against tuberculosis and to avoid drug resistance. Where there is multi-drug resistance, another treatment strategy exists called DOTS Plus.
More about DOTS