Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a disease and it affects the lungs directly. Unfortunately, despite of latest innovation in medical science 1.8 million people died of Tuberculosis in 2015.

There are two kinds of Tuberculosis, also known as TB:

Unfortunately, about one third of the population of the world has latent TB. People with compromised immune systems can have this latent bacteria be changed into active ones. Those people include smokers, people who already have HIV Aids, or people who are malnutrition.

Who can be affected?

People in all age groups are at a risk of the disease equally. This disease affects young people and adults who are dwelling in developing countries.

Diagnosis of TB

A general physician can diagnose TB. He will use a stethoscope to listen to the lungs and will also check for the swelling of the nymph nodes. A general physician will check for symptoms of the disease and medical history which will give a clear picture to the doctor if he is vulnerable to the disease or not.

The common test which is done for TB diagnosis is a skin test. In this test, a small injection of PPD Tuberculin is injected below the inside forearm. The injection site is marked and is checked after 2 to 3 days. If the site has become hard, and a red bump has swollen to a specific size, then TB is positive in that person. If that site does not have any redness, or swelling, then the doctor will check for other symptoms of another disease.

The skin test is not 100 percent accurate and there have been cases when the test did not give the right results. There are other tests as Blood tests, Chest X-rays, and sputum tests which can be used by your doctor to diagnose TB.

Treatments for TB

Most of the TB cases can be cured easily through the prescription of Tuberculosis. Its treatment should be started ASAP with antibiotics. The exact type and the duration of antibiotic intake depends on various factors like age, health, resistance to drugs and if TB is active or latent. The location of the TB also plays a vital role in determining the type of medication required. TB can occur in the lungs, kidneys and brain.

Patients who are diagnosed with latent TB mainly require one kind of antibiotic, however the patients with active TB may require multiple drugs to treat their condition. The normal length of time in which the antibiotics are prescribed are for six months.

Side effects of medication of TB

TB medication is toxic to liver as they contain high doses of antibiotics. It any of the following conditions occur after medication, visit your doctor:

If the TB symptoms have gone away, you should not stop the medication and take the full course as this will result in the recurring of the disease.