Effects of the Modified Antitubercular Treatment Regimen on Renal Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Pulmonary Tuberculosis: An Observational Study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases an individual's vulnerability to infections like tuberculosis. Doses of pyrazinamide and ethambutol are modified to treat such individuals. Additionally, the renal function tends to decline with advancing age. Therefore, it is crucial to study the effect of antitubercular drugs on renal function in young and elderly patients. The primary objective of this study was to determine the change in serum creatinine levels at six months from baseline in two study groups that included patients aged ≤50 and >50 years. The secondary objective was to determine changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and BMI six months from baseline. We recruited 40 patients with CKD and pulmonary tuberculosis from Srirama Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College and Hospital, India. Each participant received the modified doses of antitubercular drugs. Their serum creatinine, eGFR, and BMI were assessed at baseline, two and six months. Participants had a mean age of 50.93±9.83 years. The median changes in serum creatinine and eGFR values from baseline were -0.19 and -0.23 mg/dl and 4.16 and 3.93 ml/min/m for the two study groups, respectively. Furthermore, the differences in BMI from baseline were 1.91 and 2.14 kg/m , respectively, for the two groups. The renal function was found to be improved after six months of treatment with modified antitubercular drugs. The intergroup comparisons were not statistically significant. We conclude that the modified regimen helps effectively cure pulmonary tuberculosis and significantly improves renal function in CKD patients. Further studies are required to generalize these findings.