Tuberculosis

[Guest]

Dr.
My father has had TB for at least 20 years and partially followed his treatments when he had a "crisis". In the last 3 years, this awful disease reactivated (several times); now he does not respond to the usual treatments (over the time he had taken an enormous quantity of cycloserine and other drugs).
Two weeks ago, he vomited and coughed blood and something that seemed to be small pieces of lungs (as my mother told me …).
I’ll get to the point:
1. Is there any treatment (even at experimental level) that can be recommended or that can stabilize his condition?
2. Are there hopes for him, regarding the fact that he is 64 now and was a very stubborn smoker for about 35 years?
3. He lives in Romania - are there fewer chances for him (inappropriate diagnostic, treatment, etc.)?

Please let me know about all the possibilities.
Thank you for your time.

[Guest]

I don't know what the healthcare is like in Romania so I am not sure if he has had all the best medicine. Typically we use medicines such as Isoniazid, Rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide to treat TB. There are others such as streptomycin as well. It may be that he was not given a full course of treatment or the right combination of medications, I don't know. Definately the smoking isn't helping him. Also, I would look for another cause of his symptoms if the TB received adequate treatment.
[quote] Dr.
My father has had TB for at least 20 years and partially followed his treatments when he had a "crisis"... [/quote]