Tuberculosis (TB): symptoms, cause, treatment and prevention

 

Tuberculosis (TB)


What is TB?

Definition:

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that often affects your lungs. It can also spread to other parts of your body, such as your brain and spinal cord. A type of bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it. Can TB be cured? By the 20th century, TB was the leading cause of death in the United States. Today, most cases are treated with antibiotics. But it does take a long time. You must take the medicine for at least 6 to 9 months.

Types of Tuberculosis

Being infected with TB does not always mean you will get sick. There are two types of disease:

Hidden TB. You have germs in your body, but your immune system keeps them from spreading. You have no symptoms, and you are not infected. But the infection is still alive and may one day be effective. If you are at high risk of recurrence - for example, if you are HIV-positive, infected 2 years ago, your chest X-ray is abnormal, or your immune system is weak - your doctor will give you effective TB prevention drugs.

Active TB. Germs multiply and make you sick. You can spread the disease to others. Ninety percent of active cases in adults result from latent TB infection.

Subtle or active TB infections can also be drug resistant, which means that certain drugs do not work to fight off the germs.

Signs and Symptoms of TB

Severe TB has no symptoms. A skin or blood test can tell if you have any. Symptoms of active TB disease include:

  1. Cough lasting more than three weeks
  2. Chest pain
  3. He coughed up blood
  4. Feeling tired all the time
  5. Night sweats
  6. Cold
  7. Fever
  8. Loss of appetite
  9. Weight loss

If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor for a checkup. Get medical help right away if you have chest pain.

Causes of TB

Tuberculosis is caused by germs that spread through the air, such as the flu or the flu. You can only get TB if you come in contact with people who have it.

Risk Factors for TB

You could be at risk of getting TB if:

  1. A friend, co-worker, or family member has active TB.
  2. You live or travel to places where TB is common, such as Russia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
  3. You are part of a group where TB is likely to spread, whether you work or live with such a person. These include homeless people, people with HIV, people in prison or inmates, and people who inject drugs into their veins.
  4. You work or live in a hospital or nursing home.
  5. She is a health worker for patients at high risk of TB.
  6. He smokes.

Healthy antibodies fight TB germs. But you may not be able to prevent active TB if you have:

  1. HIV or AIDS
  2. Diabetes
  3. Severe kidney disease
  4. Cancer of the head and neck
  5. Cancer treatment such as chemotherapy
  6. Low body weight and malnutrition
  7. Medications
  8. Certain medications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and psoriasis
  9. Babies and young children are also more likely to get it because their immune system is not well developed.


Diagnosis and Tuberculosis

There are two common TB tests:

Skin test. This is also known as the Mantoux tuberculin test. The specialist puts a small amount of liquid on the skin of your lower arm. After two or three days, they will check for swelling in your arm. If your results say you have it, you probably have TB germs. But you can also find a false positive. Once you have received a TB vaccine called bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the test can tell if you have TB and not really. The results can also be false, saying you do not have TB if you have it, if you have a very new disease. You may get this test many times.

Blood test. These tests, also called interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), measure the response when TB protein is mixed with a small amount of your blood.

That test does not tell you whether your infection is delayed or active. If you get a good skin or a blood test, your doctor will learn what type you have with:

A chest X-ray or CT scan to look for changes in your lungs

An acid-fast bacillus (AFB) test for TB germs in your sputum, mucus comes out when you cough

Tuberculosis Treatment

Your treatment will depend on your condition.

If you have latent TB, your doctor will give you antibiotics so that the infection does not work. You can get isoniazid, rifapentine, or rifampin, either alone or combined. You will have to take the drug for up to 9 months. If you notice any signs of active TB, call your doctor immediately.

The combination of drugs also cures active TB. The most common are ethambutol, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and rifampin. It will take them six to 12 months.

If you have drug-resistant TB, your doctor may give you one or more different medicines. You may need to take them for a long time, up to 30 months, and they can cause many side effects.

Whatever type of infection you have, it is important to stop taking all your medications, even if you feel better. If you stop too soon, the bacteria can become resistant to the drugs.

Effects of TB

Like any medicine, TB medicines can have side effects.

Common side effects of isoniazid include:

  1. Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet
  2. Stomach upset, nausea and vomiting
  3. Loss of appetite
  4. Weaknesses

Side effects of Ethambutol may include:

  1. Cold
  2. Joints are sore or swollen
  3. Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting
  4. Loss of appetite
  5. Headache
  6. Confusion

Other side effects of pyrazinamide include:

  1. Weakness
  2. Nausea and vomiting
  3. Loss of appetite
  4. Muscle or joint pain


Common side effects of rifampin include:

  1. Skin rash
  2. Stomach upset, nausea and vomiting
  3. Uhudo
  4. Loss of appetite
  5. Inflammatory pancreas

TB Problems

Infection with TB can cause problems such as:

  1. Joint damage
  2. Lung damage
  3. Infection or damage to your bones, spine, brain, or lymph nodes
  4. Liver or kidney problems
  5. Inflammation of the tissues around your heart

Prevention of Tuberculosis

To help stop the spread of TB:
  1. If you have a latent infection, take all of your medication so it doesn’t become active and contagious.
  2. If you have active TB, limit your contact with other people. Cover your mouth when you laugh, sneeze, or cough. Wear a surgical mask when you’re around other people during the first weeks of treatment.
  3. If you’re traveling to a place where TB is common, avoid spending a lot of time in crowded places with sick people.

Tuberculosis vaccineChildren in countries where TB is common often get the BCG vaccine. It isn’t widely used in the United States, and it doesn’t always protect against infection. Doctors recommend it only for children living with someone who has an active TB infection with a very drug-resistant strain or who can’t take antibiotics.Other vaccines are being developed and tested.
Tuberculosis Outlook

Your outlook
depends on several things, including your overall health, how severe the infection is, and how well you follow your doctor’s directions on treatment. In the United States, experts estimate that treatment works in more than 95% of cases.



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