Blood Test May Curb Liver Damage From TB Drug

Measuring blood levels of a enzyme called AST may help prevent the liver damage that often occurs with isoniazid, a drug used to treat tuberculosis, researchers report in the medical journal Chest. AST, short for aspartate aminotransferase, is produced by a variety of cells in the body, particularly liver cells. When AST levels rise in the blood, it can suggest that the liver has been damaged in some way. Dr. Timothy Self of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis and colleagues note that the side effects of such therapy can range from mild transient elevations in AST to rare cases of liver inflammation or hepatitis.