Monitoring regularity of drug intake in tuberculous patients by means of simple urine tests.

A study was undertaken to evaluate simple, reliable urine spot tests suitable for detection of the major anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide. The discrepancy between the actual ingestion of anti-TB tablets and prescribed medication was investigated in 234 hospitalized male and female patients as well as in 85 male and female outpatients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Several factors implicated in patient non-compliance are discussed, namely the degree of supervision, the independent administration of rifampicin before the other TB medication, and patient preference for certain TB medicines because of tablet size.