142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Online Program

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

300780
Assessment of the 12 week isoniazid and rifapentine directly observed therapy protocol for treatment of latent tuberculosis in a college health population

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Kate Pettigrew, MD , Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Jessica Knox, MD, MBA , Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Kathleen Moser, MD, MPH , TB & Refugee Health Branch, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Regina Fleming, MD, MSPH
Stacie San Miguel, MD
BACKGROUND: Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) is a critical aspect of any college and university health TB control strategy. A 12-dose regimen of weekly rifapentine with isoniazid (3HP) given as directly observed therapy (DOT) has been shown to be as clinically effective as 9 months of daily self-administered isoniazid.  This shorter regimen offers several practical advantages, such as improved adherence and cost-effectiveness.  Few studies have focused specifically on the 3HP treatment regimen in a college or university setting. 

OBJECTIVES: To describe basic completion rates, adverse events, and use of telemedicine modalities for directly observed therapy in a small population of college students with LTBI.  

METHODS: The study population consisted of 37 students diagnosed with LTBI at UCSD Student Health Services and started on the 3HP regimen between January 2012 and January 2014. IRB approval was granted through UCSD IRB.  

RESULTS:  Among 37 students started on the 3HP regimen, 34 (91.9%) completed the 3HP regimen. Although 40.5% of students experienced minor side effects, no symptoms were severe, life-threatening, or required hospitalization.  Symptoms included nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, and menstrual irregularities.  Telemedicine or self-administration was used by 32.4% of the students and cell phone video (28.6%) was the most popular modality used.   

CONCLUSIONS: In general, the 3HP regimen for LTBI treatment is shown to be well-tolerated in a small population of healthy college-age students. Beyond the advantages of a shorter treatment duration, high compliance, and low toxicity, opportunities with newer methods of directly observed therapy via cell phone video may be well-suited for this population.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control

Learning Objectives:
Describe completion rates and side effects associated with the 12-dose directly observed therapy regimen for treatment latent tuberculosis in a young college health population. Discuss telemedicine modalities used by college students for latent tuberculosis treatment.

Keyword(s): Tuberculosis, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a third-year resident in the UC San Diego General Preventive Medicine Residency. In my clinical rotations, I routinely address public health prevention, including screening for and counseling patients on LTBI.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4291.0: Posters in School Health II