Gabapentin is an antiepileptic drug approved for adjunctive therapy for partial seizures. We report a case of a patient who had thrombocytopenia with the dose of 2400 mg/day of gabapentin. The causal relationship between gabapentin and thrombocytopenia was revealed by dramatic increase in thrombocyte count following the cessation of the gabapentin treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first case report with a hematopoietic side effect of gabapentin.

[In 2001 4.095.134 chest screening examinations were carried out at 154 fixed and 50 mobile Xray screening stations in Hungary. Currently, screening for tuberculosis is mandatory by law, but a recently issued decree by the Health Minister states that the method is suitable for the screening of lung cancer as well. Unfortunately, the majority of the machines are old and since replacements are long overdue, the assessment with a high technical standard and quality is not always possible. These are the reasons why a plan must be outlined for the necessary improvement and for the renewal of the equipment pool, based on expert opinion. In the literature, there are ongoing spirited discussions on the efficacy of X-ray screening as well as on the possibilities of CT-scans for the identification of lung cancer. The size of the investment needed makes it necessary that costbenefit factors and the possibility of joining the National Health Prevention program should be considered.]

[The author evaluates the epidemiological conditions of pulmonary tuberculosis in Hungary. The number of new cases decreases year after year. Being the disease infectious afterall, efforts must be continued against it adapted to the new epidemiological situation. This requires the collaboration of all the medical network systems as the pulmonological one is inefficient itself. Though the disease is rare, it cannot be forgotten and in certain cases tuberculosis must be borne in mind as well.]

[Nowadays tuberculosis has already become a rare disease in childhood in Hungary but the danger of the infection is still present for the several thousand (over 3500) disease manifestations among adults. The main task of the pediatricians is prevention, however the disease should be borne in mind in case of unelucidated chronic cases. In suspicion of meningitis basilaris it is necessary to start the treatment at once. Until now the maintanence of the BCG vaccination by age groups (new-born, 11 and 18 years) was justified, but it needs further restriction due to the advance in epidemic situation.]

[In the past decade, the epidemiological status of tuberculosis has significantly improved in Hungary. The incidence is today lower than 20 per 100 000 inhabitant, therefore, the laboratory network performing diagnosis needs to look for new challenges. As the yearly number of cases decreases, less examinations will be needed, but a greater emphasis should be placed on shortening the time needed for diagnosis, more efficient culturing, resistance tests and molecular typing performed for epidemiological purposes. Our aim is to provide an overview of the status of the diagnostic network of tuberculosis in Hungary and the future challenges it faces, on the basis of data published by the National Korányi Institute of TBC and Pulmonology and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.]