Abstract: Objective To study the preventive effect of glycyrrhizin on the hepatitis resulted from anti-tuberculous drugs. Methods Prospective study was adopted. One hundred and sixty-eight inpatients with pulmonary tuberculosis were randomly divided into treatment group and control group. The former was treated with glycyrrhizin combining with anti-tuberculous drugs, while the latter was treated with routine anti-tuberculous drugs. The occurrence of the hepatitis suffered from anti-tuberculous drugs was observed. Results Two of 84 cases in the treatment group were suffered from the hepatitis, whose state were not severe. Otherwise, 12 of 84 cases in the control group were suffered from the hepatitis, in which one case had severe state. The incidence of hepatitis from anti-tuberculous drugs in the two groups was 2.4% and 14.3% ,respectively. The hepatitis in ten inpatients occurred during the enhanced anti-tuberculous period,which the clinical manifestations were tiredness, nausea,vomit,icterus,windy feeling,pain in liver. Conclusion Glycyrrhizin might play a role in the prevention from anti-tuberculous drugs’ hepatitis.

Key words: Pulmonary tuberculosis, Anti-tuberculous drug, Hepatitis, Glycynhizin