Patient 13/1949
Streptomycin was the first effective antibiotic drug treatment for tuberculosis. It was first brought to the UK in 1946 where the UK Medical Research Council's TB unit undertook trials to look at the effectiveness of combining Streptomycin with the traditional treatment of bed rest to bed rest alone; Streptomycin plus bed rest gave greater results. It was introduced as a treatment for tuberculosis in Stannington Sanatorium from 1947, however, it was not widely used and instead particular cases were singled out as suitable candidates for treatment. There were several problems arising from the use of Streptomycin that meant it could not be a cure-all treatment for everyone.
Patient 13/1949 was one of those to receive Streptomycin as a means of treating TB meningitis. This patient had been admitted to Newcastle General Hospital on 17th August 1948 with drowsiness and vomiting. Initial observations identified spinal stiffness, bilateral papilloedema (optic disc swelling) and drowsiness. She was diagnosed with TB meningitis and started on daily Streptomycin treatment both intramuscular and intrathecal, into the spinal canal to cerebrospinal fluid. She became less drowsy but the papilloedema persisted and by 6th September little improvement was noticeable with marked drowsiness, vomiting and headaches followed by incontinence, neck stiffness and finally unconsciousness; treatment was stopped on 15th September.
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AGE : 7
SEX: FEMALE
ADMISSION : 25th Jan 1949
DISCHARGE : 3rd May 1949
DIAGNOSIS: Healed TB Meningitis (Streptomycin Treatment)
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