What is the Tuberculosis?

 

What is the Tuberculosis?

 

Overview

·         Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks.

·         TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick.

·         Today, most cases are cured with antibiotics. But it takes a long time. You have to take medications for at least 6 to 9 months.

 

 

 

Tuberculosis Types

A TB infection doesn’t always mean you’ll get sick. There are two forms of the disease:

·         Latent TB. You have the germs in your body, but your immune system.  keeps them from spreading. You don’t have any symptoms, and you’re not contagious. But the infection is still alive and can one day become active. If you’re at high risk for re-activation -- for instance, if you have HIV, you had an infection in the past 2 years, your chest X-ray is unusual, or your immune system is weakened -- your doctor will give you medications to prevent active TB.  

·         Active TB. The germs multiply and make you sick. You can spread the disease to others. Ninety percent of active cases in adults come from a latent TB infection.

A latent or active TB infection can also be drug-resistant, meaning certain medications don’t work against the bacteria.

 

 

TuberculosisSigns and Symptoms

Latent TB doesn’t have symptoms. A skin or blood test can tell if you have it.

Signs of active TB disease include:

• ·         A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks
• ·         Chest pain
• ·         Coughing up blood
• ·         Feeling tired all the time
• ·         Night sweat
• ·         Chills
• ·         Fever

·         Loss of appetite

·         Weight loss

 

 

Tuberculosis Transmission

 

o   When someone who has TB coughs, sneezes, talks, laughs, or sings, they release tiny droplets that contain the germs. If you breathe in these germs, you can get it.

o   It doesn’t transmit via hugging, kissing or by sexual transmission.

 

 

Tuberculosis Tests and Diagnosis

 

 

 

There are 2 main tests for TB.

 

1.       Skin test. This is also known as the Mantoux tuberculin skin test. A technician injects a small amount of fluid into the skin of your lower arm. After 2 or 3 days, they’ll check for swelling in your arm. If your results are positive, you probably have TB bacteria. But you could also get a false positive. If you’ve gotten a tuberculosis vaccine called bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the test could say that you have TB when you really don’t. The results can also be false negative, saying that you don’t have TB when you really do, if you have a very new infection. You might get this test more than once.

 

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

 

 

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

·         Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) tests for TB bacteria in your sputum, the mucus that comes up when you cough

 

 

Tuberculosis Complications

 

 

§  Joint damage

§  Lung damage

§  Infection or damage of bones, spinal cord, brain, or lymph nodes

§  Liver or kidney problems

§  Inflammation of the tissues around heart

 

 

Prevention and Treatments

 

·         Mainly it can be prevented by our good habits, if we are suspectable person we should avoid contact with other persons.

·         We can wear a mask also.

·         And if we are in a latent phase, we should get medications.

·         As a treatment gives antibiotic against TB bacteria.

·         If you have an active TB disease you will probably be treated with a combination of antibacterial medications for a period of six to 12 months. The most common treatment for active TB is isoniazid INH in combination with three other drugs—rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol.

·         And give BCG vaccine.