All About Rifampicin And Treatment Of Tuberculosis
Rifampicin is an antibiotic in the rifampicin family. It is a semisynthetic compound and the first choice for the treatment of tuberculosis. Stay with us and find out all about rifampicin and tuberculosis.
However, this medicine should not be used as monotherapy: in other words , rifampicin should not be the only medicine that a patient receives to treat tuberculosis. This will be beneficial for the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This is why doctors prescribe this medicine along with other medicines. Keep reading to find out more about this treatment!
Rifampicin also has several uses, for example in the treatment of patients who have meningococci but who have no symptoms. In addition , rifampicin is effective in the prophylactic treatment of haemophilus influenzae type B and in the treatment of leprosy, among other things.
The story of rifampicin
This antibiotic first appeared on the market in the 1960s. Researchers first received rifampin B, a metabolite of rifampin. They then tried to make a number of structural modifications to the molecule to increase its antibiotic potency while reducing rapid bile elimination. Eventually, they were able to synthesize rifampicin.
Since its introduction to the market, rifampicin has been considered as the first choice for the treatment of tuberculosis. However, bacteria became resistant to rifampin, and this forced doctors to prescribe other medicines with it, such as isoniazid and etambutol.
The discovery of rifampicin was undoubtedly a breakthrough for the medical field. Learn more about this drug below!
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a disease that results from a bacterial infection, more specifically the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis . In most cases , this microorganism affects the lungs.
In addition, those who are infected can spread the disease through the air when, for example, they sneeze or cough. Unfortunately, inhaling the secreted particles is enough to become infected.
However, tuberculosis is a preventable disease, and today doctors can cure most patients. More specifically, more than 49 million patients have been cured since 2000 thanks to modern medicine diagnosis and treatments.
In terms of signs and symptoms of this disease, it depends on the area in which the bacteria multiply. As we mentioned earlier, tuberculosis usually affects the lungs and causes the following symptoms:
- Intense and lasting cough
- Chest pain
- Cough followed by blood or thick mucus
- Fever and chills
- Weight loss
- Decreased appetite
How does rifampicin affect its effect on the body?
Rifampicin owes its antibiotic effect to the ability to inhibit the RNA synthesis of bacterial cells. To do this, it inhibits the action of RNA polymerase, a DNA-dependent enzyme. Rifampicin does not bind to the polymerases in eukaryotic cells, such as those of humans, so it does not affect the synthesis of human RNA.
On the other hand, this drug is a bacteriostatic or bactericidal medicine, depending on the dose given. At lower doses it will be bacteriostatic: that is, it prevents the development of bacterial cells. At higher doses it will have a bactericidal effect; in other words, it kills the bacteria.
What is the correct dose?
The dose varies from patient to patient. For the recommended doses in adult patients not infected with HIV, it is administered both orally and intravenously in a maximum dose of 600 mg daily. If the patient has HIV, the dose will be 10 mg both orally and intravenously.
For children, the dose is reduced to 10-20 mg every day when they are not infected with HIV. The maximum dose is 600 mg. However, it is always combined with another antituberculous agent. The dose is the same even if the child has HIV.
Patients take the medicine once a day for two months with another antituberculous medicine. Afterwards, the patient must take isoniazid and rifampin in the same dose once a day or 2 or 3 times a week for the next 4 months.
Conclusion on rifampicin
Rifampicin is an antibiotic used as the first choice in the treatment of tuberculosis, but always combined with other medications. The combination became necessary due to the resistance that bacteria developed to the medicine itself.
You can ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about rifampicin. You should always follow the instructions given to you by a healthcare professional. Medication abuse can lead to serious health problems.
