[Tuberculosis treatment today].

In West and East Germany the incidence of tuberculosis is declining. However, with an incidence of 22 per 100,000 inhabitants in West Germany and 17 new diseases per 100,000 inhabitants in East Germany it is not a rare disease. In the chemotherapy of pulmonary tuberculosis, isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP), ethambutol (EMB), streptomycin (SM), pyrazinamide (PZA) and prothionamide (PTH) are the most relevant drugs.

[Recurrence of lung tuberculosis: causes and sequelae].

Despite the fact that anti-tuberculous chemotherapy is highly effective, recurrent disease is occasionally observed. In 25 patients, we investigated the reasons for this. In 21 of these cases, the last chemotherapeutic treatment had not been carried out in a proper manner.

[Pulmonary risks caused by exposure to glass fiber dust].

We observed two patients who, after inhaling glass fibre dust for 14 and 16 years, respectively, developed a cough and dyspnoea on exertion. Our investigation of transbronchially obtained lung tissue with the aid of light microscopy, electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray micro-analysis revealed fibrosis of mild extension in immediate topographical relationship to phagocytosed fragments of glass fibre. We conclude from these findings that inhaled glass fibre dust can develop a fibrogenic effect.

[In 76% of patients with active tuberculosis treated with triple therapy (isoniazid-rifampicin-pyrazinamide) cultural conversion precedes microscopic conversion].

The time course of smear and culture conversion was studied in 50 previously untreated patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis. Treatment consisted of isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide for three months, followed by isoniazid and rifampicin. After eight weeks of treatment, negative smears and cultures were obtained in 46 and 84% of the patients, respectively.