Tuberculosis

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What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that often affects your lungs. It is an airborne disease. Mycobacterium, A type of bacterium that causes tuberculosis. When a patient with Lung Tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, they often spread the Tuberculosis germs into the air around them.

Tuberculosis

How Tuberculosis can be cured?

Tuberculosis can be cured by using antibiotic medicine. The treatment can take up to 3 to 9 months depending on the medications used.

Different Types of Tuberculosis

There are mainly two types of Tuberculosis infection found namely, Latent Tuberculosis and Active Tuberculosis.

  1. Latent Tuberculosis: In Latent Tuberculosis the TB germs live inside your body but it doesn’t spread in your body due to your immune system which keeps them from spreading. But it can get activated if you have a weak immune system or have had an infection in the past years.
  2. Active Tuberculosis: In Active Tuberculosis, the germs residing inside your body get multiplied and eventually make you unwell. People who have a weak immune system or have diabetes, HIV, or people who are using tobacco are at very high risk of having Tuberculosis disease.
Tuberculosis
What are the symptoms or signs of Tuberculosis?

The symptoms are not visible in latent TB only a blood test is a way to find out if a person has it or not. But in Active Tuberculosis or TB, the symptoms are as follows:

  1. Blood in Cough
  2. Regular Chest pain
  3. 3 weeks or longer duration of coughing.
  4. Loss of weight
  5. Easily get tired
  6. Fever
  7. Decreased in Appetite

Tuberculosis

How does tuberculosis Transmit?

Tuberculosis is transmitted from one person to another when a TB Patient Coughs or sneezes.  When a TB patient coughs or sneezes many tiny particles that contain bacteria called Mycobacterium spread into the air. When a healthy person comes in contact with it, the bacteria get inside his body through air.

How to diagnose Tuberculosis?

There are two ways by which we can detect Tuberculosis Bacteria in a patient body,

  • TB Skin Test
  • TB Blood Test

If a patient is detected positive by TB skin Test or TB Blood Test, it doesn’t tell whether a patient is Latent TB or Active TB.

The Best way for diagnosing tuberculosis is a chest X-ray with multiple sputum cultures for acid-fast bacilli. These are the best method for evaluation.

What is the Treatment for Tuberculosis?

First of all, Tuberculosis is a curable and preventable disease. The treatment is dependent upon your infection level, whether you have Latent TB or Active TB. The exact treatment length depends on age, overall health.  Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) is recommended. A Health worker will take care of you and give you TB medication to ensure that the treatment is completed as per the doctor’s advice.

 

What are the various side effects of the Medications?

There are some various side effects of the medications which are as follows:

  1. Blurred Vision
  2. Dark Urination
  3. Jaundice
  4. Loss of Appetite
  5. Bleeding
  6. Vomiting or Nausea
  7. Fever

What are the prevention measures you should take to avoid TB?

Tuberculosis is an airborne infection, when a patient with Lung Tuberculosis coughs or sneeze, they often spread the Tuberculosis germs into the air around them. To reduce the risk of infection use simple precautions like:

  1. Good Hygiene lifestyle
  2. Natural Light
  3. Good Ventilation in the room
  4. Wearing a mask
  5. Cove your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Contact your doctor as early as possible.

 

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