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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 20, Number 2

Incidence of toxic optic neuropathy with low-dose ethambutol

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of ethambutol (EMB) induced optic neuropathy prescribed at a relatively low dose of 15 mg/kg/day for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) or Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease.

DESIGN: Patients diagnosed with TB or MAC lung disease received multidrug regimens including EMB at a single institution from August 2003 to July 2009. Visual monitoring was performed at baseline and at regular follow-up. The incidence of EMB-induced visual disturbances was evaluated.

RESULTS: Of the 415 patients included in the study, three (0.7%) developed toxic optic neuropathy over the 6-year period. Of the 289 patients prescribed a dose of 15 mg/kg/day EMB, only one (0.3%) developed toxic optic neuropathy.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of EMB-induced optic neuropathy among Koreans is estimated to be 0.7%, and can be reduced with lower doses of EMB.

Keywords: EMB; incidence; low dose; toxic optic neuropathy

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: *Department of Ophthalmology, and 2: †Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea

Publication date: 01 February 2016

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

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