Abstract
To the Editor.— The report on the effectiveness of isoniazid in preventing clinically manifest tuberculosis (229:528, 1974) did not take into account the potential carcinogenicity of the drug. Isoniazid-induced leukemia and tumors in laboratory animals cannot be generalized to man, but they justify careful scrutiny of the potential risk. An increase over expected numbers of deaths due to neoplasms in male tuberculosis patients treated with isoniazid has been observed, although the relative risk (1.4) was not significant statistically.1In one section of the randomized trials of the Public Health Service, mental patients under intensive care who had received isoniazid prophylactically experienced a higher rate of death due to neoplasms than did the control group on placebo.2The increase in neoplasia was not observed in other test populations. This discrepancy has not been clarified, but it is conceivable that the group under intensive care actually took the prescribed dose
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
