What is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that attacks the lungs and is highly contagious. If the infection is not countered quickly the bacteria can spread into other parts of the body (extrapulmonary tuberculosis), including the brain, spine, liver, kidneys, and lymph nodes. There are different forms of tuberculosis, and a person’s risk factor for more serious health complications or fatality will depend on which form of the infection they have and which stage it is at.
Primary TB is the initial form, and people may be able to recover from tuberculosis at this stage if they have a strong immune system. Tuberculosis symptoms may not have presented themselves yet with Primary TB, but people will still be infectious. With Latent TB they are not infectious but the bacteria are present and may produce an infection at a future time. Active TB is when the bacteria are multiplying and sufferers will be clearly sick when they have this form of the infection, as well as being highly infectious.
What Causes Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is the result of mycobacterium tuberculosis entering the body. The bacteria is spread by airborne means, and primarily when an infected person coughs, sneezes, laughs, or exhales forcefully in the vicinity of someone who then inhales the bacteria themselves. Tuberculosis can’t be contracted by surface contact, and it is not possible to get it from oral contact either.
People with weakened immune systems will be more at risk of tuberculosis, and primary tuberculosis will proceed into active tuberculosis much more quickly and reliably for these individuals. Smokers are more likely to get TB, along with the risk factor being higher for people living in or visiting parts of the world where tuberculosis is still common – Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Tuberculosis Symptoms
The most common tuberculosis symptoms are chest pain, intense coughing and sputum, coughing up blood, chronic tiredness, chills, night sweats, fever, appetite loss, and weight loss. Tuberculosis symptoms for children and teens will be the same as for adults, but for babies they are usually different. When a baby has tuberculosis they will often be lethargic, very fussy, and may have a bulge in the soft spot of their head. They may also be frequently regurgitating food and may have difficulty feeding.
Tuberculosis Treatment
The standard approach to tuberculosis treatment is to start on powerful antibiotic medications like Rofact or Myambutol. The patient’s doctor may also recommend measures to prevent transmission, which is a responsible part of tuberculosis treatment and needed in order to keep others safe from infection.
This will involve limiting contact with other people, covering mouth when coughing, sneezing, or laughing, wearing a surgical mask if you need to be out in public, and keeping your home spaces ventilated when you are there.
