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Tuberculosis

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9 views

Tuberculosis

Uploaded by

eeyakido
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection that usually attacks the lungs. It can also spread
to other parts of your body, like your brain and spine. A type of bacteria
called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it. It spreads through the air when infected people
cough, sneeze or spit.

Types of Tuberculosis
There are two forms of the disease:
 Latent TB. The bacteria is in the body, but the immune system keeps them from
spreading. There is no symptom, and is not contagious. But the infection is still alive
and can one day become active. Those at high risk for re-activation -- for instance
HIV or had an infection in the past 2 years, the immune system is weakened --
medications ordered to prevent active TB.
 Active TB. The germs multiply and can make one sick. The infection can spread 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

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 sweats
 Chills
 Fever
 Loss of appetite
 Weight loss

Risk Factors for TB


 A friend, co-worker, or family member has active TB.
 Living in or travelling to an area where TB is common, like Russia, Africa, Eastern
Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
 Being a part of a group in which TB is more likely to spread, such as people
with HIV, people in jail or prison, and people who inject drugs into their veins.
 Caring for patients at high risk of TB.
 smoking.

Conditions can increase a person’s risk for tuberculosis disease:


 HIV or AIDS
 Diabetes
 Severe kidney disease
 Head and neck cancers
 Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy
 Low body weight and poor nutrition
 Medications for organ transplants
 Certain drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis

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Babies and young children also have higher chances of getting TB because their immune
systems aren’t fully formed.

Prevention
 Seek early medical attention if you have symptoms like prolonged cough, fever and
unexplained weight loss
 Get tested for TB infection if you are at increased risk, such as if you have HIV or are
in contact with people who have TB in your household or your workplace.
 If prescribed treatment to prevent TB, complete the full course.
 If you have TB, practice good hygiene when coughing, including avoiding contact
with other people and wearing a mask, covering your mouth and nose when coughing
or sneezing, and disposing of sputum and used tissues properly.

Tuberculosis vaccine
Children in countries where TB is common often get the Bacillus Calmette-GuŽrin (BCG) vaccine.

Diagnosis
 Rapid molecular diagnostic tests include the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and Truenat
assays. The tests help in the early detection of TB and drug-resistant TB.
 A tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferongamma release assay (IGRA) can be used to
identity people with the infection.
 Diagnosing multidrug-resistant and other resistant forms of TB requires
bacteriological confirmation of TB and testing for drug resistance using rapid
molecular tests or culture methods.
 Tuberculosis is particularly difficult to diagnose in children.

Treatment
Tuberculosis disease is treated with antibiotics. Treatment is recommended for both TB
infection and disease.
The most common antibiotics used are:
 isoniazid
 rifampin
 pyrazinamide
 ethambutol
 streptomycin.
To be effective, these medications need to be taken daily for 4–6 months. It is dangerous to
stop the medications early or without medical advice. This can allow TB that is still alive to
become resistant to the drugs.
Tuberculosis that doesn’t respond to standard drugs is called drug-resistant TB and requires
more toxic treatment with different medicines.

Multidrug-resistant TB
Drug resistance emerges when TB medicines are used inappropriately, through incorrect
prescription by health care providers, poor quality drugs, or patients stopping treatment
prematurely. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria
that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most effective first-line TB drugs.
MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs. However, second-line
treatment options require extensive medicines that are expensive and toxic.

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In some cases, more extensive drug resistance can develop. TB caused by bacteria that do not
respond to the most effective second-line TB drugs can leave patients with very limited
treatment options.

TB and HIV
TB is considered opportunistic infection person with HIV. This means that a person with HIV
has a higher risk of developing TB and experiencing more severe symptoms than someone
with a healthy immune system. People living with HIV are 16 times more likely to fall ill
with TB disease than people without HIV. TB is the leading cause of death among people
with HIV. HIV and TB form a lethal combination, each speeding the other's progress.

Tuberculosis Complications
Tuberculosis infection can cause complications such as:
 Joint damage
 Lung damage
 Infection or damage of your bones, spinal cord, brain, or lymph nodes
 Liver or kidney problems
 Inflammation of the tissues around your heart

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