The aim of the current study was to evaluate the incidence and factors associated with drug induced hepatic dysfunction in children on anti-tuberculous treatment (ATT). The study included 46 children with tuberculosis on ATT between April 2007 and February 2008. The authors assessed the levels of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) at the beginning, after 15 days of starting ATT, at the end intensive phase and then after the development of symptoms of hepatic dysfunction. A value 3 times the normal value of the testing laboratory was regarded as significant for liver dysfunction, which was assessed for interrelationship with factors like age, sex, weight, malnutrition, type of tuberculosis and severity of tuberculosis using SPSS Statistics software, Ver-sion15.0.

     The outcome showed that seven (15.2 %) out of 46 children developed drug induced hepatic dysfunction. Among these patients, 2 (28.6%) patients had 2 episodes of liver dysfunction while 5 (71.4%) had 1 episode of liver dysfunction. Symptom of hepatitis in the form of jaundice and hepatomegaly were developed in one (14.3%) patient. All the patients developing liver dysfunction were seen in the intensive phase of therapy. The mean age of the children developing liver dysfunction was 4.0 ± 3.76 years as liver dysfunction was seen in age younger than 3/ years. Moreover, liver dysfunction was not correlated with sex, weight, malnutrition, type of tuberculosis and severity of tuberculosis.

Thus, the study concluded that periodic monitoring of SGPT levels is advisable in all children on ATT below the age of 3 / years.

Source: Mansukhani S, Shah I. Hepatic dysfunction in children with tuberculosis on treatment with antituberculous therapy. Ann Hepatol. 2012 Jan-Feb;11(1):96-9. PMID: 22166567.