Tuberculosis (TB)
An infectious disease that may affect almost any tissue of the body, especially the lungs, caused by the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
About 10 million people worldwide were sick with TB in 2015, and about 1.8 million people died from TB worldwide in 2015 according to the World Health Organization [WHO].
Note: Its not Who it is WHO as in world health organisation
What Are Causes of Tuberculosis?
All cases of TB are passed from person to person via droplets. When someone with TB infection coughs, sneezes, or talks, tiny droplets of saliva or mucus are expelled into the air, which can be inhaled by another person.
- Once infectious particles reach the alveoli (small saclike structures in the air spaces in the lungs), another cell, called the macrophage, engulfs the TB bacteria.
- Then the bacteria are transmitted to the lymphatic system and bloodstream and spread to other organs occurs.
- The bacteria further multiply in organs that have high oxygen pressures, such as the upper lobes of the lungs, the kidneys, bone marrow, and meninges — the membrane-like coverings of the brain and spinal cord.
Latent TB: You have the germs in your body, but your immune system stops them from spreading. That means you don’t have any symptoms and you’re not contagious. But the infection is still alive in your body and can one day become active.
Signs and Symptoms-
- A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks
- Chest pain
- Coughing up blood
- Feeling tired all the time
- Night sweats
- Chills
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
Diagnosis
During the physical exam, your doctor will check your lymph nodes for swelling and use a stethoscope to listen carefully to the sounds your lungs make while you breathe.
Blood tests
Blood tests may be used to confirm or rule out latent or active tuberculosis. These tests use sophisticated technology to measure your immune system’s reaction to TB bacteria.
Imaging tests
If you’ve had a positive skin test, your doctor is likely to order a chest X-ray or a CT scan. This may show white spots in your lungs where your immune system has walled off TB bacteria, or it may reveal changes in your lungs caused by active tuberculosis.
Sputum tests
If your chest X-ray shows signs of tuberculosis, your doctor may take samples of your sputum — the mucus that comes up when you cough. The samples are tested for TB bacteria.
Treatment
With the proper treatment, tuberculosis is almost always curable.
Doctors prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause it. You’ll need to take them for 6 to 9 months. What medications you take and how long you’ll have to take them depends on which works to eradicate your TB. Sometimes, antibiotics used to treat the disease don’t work. Doctors call this “drug-resistant” TB. If you have this form of the disease, you may need to take stronger medications for longer.
Main drugs for Tuberculosis are-
- Ethambutol
- Isoniazid
- Pyrazinamide
- Rifampin