Symptoms and treatment of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Description

Tuberculosis, also called TB, is a serious disease that primarily affects the lungs. The germs that cause tuberculosis, are a type of bacteria.

Tuberculosis can be spread when a person with the disease coughs, sneezes or sings. This can put droplets with the germs in the air. Another person can breathe in the droplets, and the germs enter the lungs.

Tb is easily spread where people gather in the crowd, or where people live in crowded conditions. People with HIV/AIDS and other people with weakened immune systems have a higher risk of contracting tuberculosis than people with typical immune systems.

Medicines called antibiotics can treat tuberculosis. But some forms of the bacteria no longer respond well to treatment.

Symptoms

When TB germs to survive and multiply in the lungs, which is called TB infection. A TB infection can be in one of three stages. The symptoms are different in each stage.

Primary TB infection. The first stage is called the primary infection. The immune system of the cells to find and capture the germs. The immune system can completely destroy the germs. But some captured germs can survive and multiply.

Most people have no symptoms during a primary infection. Some people can get the flu-like symptoms, such as:

• Under the fever.
• Fatigue.
• For cough.

The latent TB infection. The primary infection is usually followed by the stage of latent tuberculosis infection. The cells of the immune system to build a wall around lung tissue with TB germs. Germs can not do more damage if the immune system is kept under control. But the germs to survive. There are No symptoms during the latent TB infection.

Active TB disease. Active TB disease occurs when the immune system cannot control an infection. Germs cause disease through the lungs or other parts of the body. Active TB disease can occur just after the primary infection. But usually occurs after months or years of latent TB infection.

The symptoms of active TB disease in the lungs usually begin gradually and get worse over a couple of weeks. They may include:

• For cough.
• Cough with blood or mucus.
• Pain in the chest.
• Pain with breathing or coughing.
• Fever.
• Chills.
• Night sweats.
• The loss of weight.
• Not wanting to eat.
• Fatigue.
• You do not feel well in general.

Active TB disease outside the lungs. TB infection may spread from the lungs to other parts of the body. This is called extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Symptoms vary depending on what part of the body is infected. Common symptoms may include:

• Fever.
• Chills.
• Night sweats.
• The loss of weight.
• Not wanting to eat.
• Fatigue.
• You do not feel well in general.
• Pain near the site of the infection.

Active TB disease in the voice box is outside the lungs, but it has more symptoms as a disease in the lungs.

The common sites of active TB disease outside the lungs include:

• Kidneys.
• Liver.
• The fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord.
• Muscles of the heart.
• The genitals.
• The lymph nodes.
• The bones and joints.
• Of the skin.
• The walls of the blood vessels.
• Voice box, also called the larynx.

Active TB disease in children. The symptoms of active TB disease in children vary. Usually, the symptoms of aging may include the following:

• Teens. The symptoms are similar to the adults symptoms.
• 1 to 12 years old. Younger children may have a fever that does not go away, and weight loss.
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When to see a doctor

The symptoms of tb are similar to the symptoms of many different diseases. Consult your health care professional if you have symptoms that do not improve with a few days of rest.

Get emergency medical help if you have:

• Pain in the chest.
• Sudden, severe headache.
• Confusion.
• Seizures.
• Difficulty breathing.

Immediate or urgent care if you:

• Coughing up blood.
• You have blood in the urine or in the faeces.

Causes

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

People with active TB disease in the lungs or in the voice box can transmit the disease. They release small droplets that are carriers of the bacteria through the air. This can happen when you are in the talking, singing, laughing, coughing, or sneezing. A person can get an infection after inhalation of the droplets.

The disease is more likely to spread when people spend a lot of time together in an indoor space. So the disease is easily spread in places where people live or work together for long periods of time. Also, the disease spreads more easily in the meetings.

A person with thetent of TB infection cannot spread the disease to other people. A person taking medicine for the treatment of active TB disease usually can't pass the disease after 2 to 3 weeks of treatment.

Drug-resistant TB

Some forms of TB bacteria have become resistant to the drugs. This means that the drugs that once cured the disease no longer work.

This happens, in part, because of course the genetic changes in bacteria. A random genetic change of a bacterium could give you something of quality that makes it more likely to survive to the attack of an antibiotic. If you do survive, then you can multiply.

When antibiotics are not used properly or medications fail to clear all the bacteria for another reason — that the conditions are ideal for the more resistant versions of the bacteria to take hold and multiply. If these bacteria are transmitted to other people, a new drug-resistant strain can increase with time.

Problems that can lead to resistant strains of bacteria include the following:

• People do not follow the instructions for taking the medication or stopped taking the drugs.
• They were not prescribed in the treatment plan is correct.
• The medicines were not available.
• The drugs were of poor quality.
• The body does not absorb the drug as expected.

Risk factors

Anyone can get tb, but certain factors increase the risk of getting an infection. Other factors that increase the risk of infection from becoming active TB disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a TB test for people who have a higher risk of TB infection or active TB disease. Talk with your health care professional if you have one or more of the following risk factors.

The risk of TB infection

Certain life or working conditions make it easier for the disease to pass from one person to another. These conditions increase the risk of infection with TB:

• Live with someone who has active TB disease.
• Living or traveling in a country where TB is common, including several countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
• Of life or of work in places where people live close together, such as prisons, nursing homes, and shelters for homeless people.
• Living in a community identified as being at high risk of tuberculosis.
• Working in the health and in the treatment of people with a high risk of TB.

Risk of ac -tive TB disease

A weakened immune system increases the risk of TB infection to become active TB disease. Conditions or treatments that can weaken the immune system include:

• HIV/AIDS.
• Diabetes.
• Severe disease of the kidneys.
• Cancers of the head, the neck and the blood.
• Malnutrition or low body weight.
• The treatment of cancer, such as chemotherapy.
• Medications to prevent rejection of transplanted organs.
• The long-term use of the prescription of steroids.
• Illicit use of drugs that are injected.
• The misuse of alcohol.
• Smoking and use of other tobacco products.

Age and active TB disease

The risk of TB infection to become active TB disease changes with age.

• Children under 5 years of age. Until the children reach the age of 5 years, who have a high risk of TB infection to become active TB disease. The risk is greater for children younger than 2 years of age. Tuberculosis in this age group often leads to severe disease in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis.
• Age 15 to 25. People in this age group have a greater risk of developing more severe of active TB disease in the lungs.
• 65 years of age and older. The immune system is weakened during the age advanced. Older adults have a higher risk of active TB disease. In addition, the disease can be more difficult to treat.

Prevention

If the result is positive for latent TB infection, you may need to take medication to prevent active TB disease.

The prevention of the spread of the disease

If you have active TB disease, you will have to take steps to prevent other people from getting an infection. You will have to take medication for four, six or nine months. Take all medications as directed during all the time.

During the first 2 to 3 weeks, you will be able to pass the TB bacteria to other people. To protect others by following these steps:

• Stay at home. Do not go to work or school.
• To isolate at home. Spend as little time as possible between the members of your family. Sleep in a separate room.
• Ventilate the room. Tuberculosis germs spread more easily in small, closed spaces. If it's not too cold outside, open the windows. The use of a fan to blow air. If you have more than one window, use a fan to blow air and the other for the air to blow in.
• They wear masks. Wear a mask when you have to be around other people. Ask other members orf of the household to wear masks to protect themselves.
• Cover your mouth. Use a tissue to cover your mouth at any time of sneezing or coughing. Put the dirty tissue in a bag, seal it and throw it away.

Vaccines

In countries where tuberculosis is common for babies orare often vaccinated with the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. This protects babies and young children are more likely to have active TB disease in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

The vaccine may not protect against the disease in the lungs, which is more likely in the united States. Dozens of new TB vaccines are in various stages of development and testing.

Tuberculosis

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) infection, your health care professional will examine you that includes:

• Listen to breathing with a stethoscope.
• Checking for the presence of swollen lymph nodes.
• Ask questions about your symptoms.

TB testing

Your health care professional will order tests if:

• Tuberculosis is suspected.
• You probably have been exposed to a person with active TB disease.
• You have the health risks of active TB disease.

Your health care team will determine if a skin test or blood test is the best option.

Skin test

A small amount of a substance called tuberculin is injected just under the skin in the inside of a forearm. Within 48 to 72 hours, a health worker takes the arm by the swelling at the injection site. The size of the elevation of the skin is used to determine a positive or negative result.

This test is to see if your immune system reacts, or has made an antibody, tuberculosis. A positive test indicates that it is very likely that you will have a latent TB infection or active TB disease. The people who had a tb vaccination may get a positive result, even if you do not have the infection.

A negative result means that your body does not react to the test. This does not necessarily mean that you do not have an infection.

Blood tests

A blood sample is sent to a laboratory. A laboratory test finds out if certain cells of the immune system may "recognize" the tuberculosis. A positive result of the test shows that you have a latent TB infection or active TB disease. Other tests of the blood sample can help determine if you have the active disease.

A negative result means that you probably do not have TB infection.

X-ray

A chest x-ray may show irregular patches in the lungs, which are typical of active TB disease.

Tests of sputum

Your healthcare provider may take a sample of the mucus that comes up when you cough, also called sputum. If you have active TB disease in the lungs or voice box, lab tests can detect the bacteria.

A relatively rapid laboratory test can tell you if the sputum is likely to have the TB bacteria. But it can be showing the bacteria with similar characteristics.

Another laboratory test can confirm the presence of TB bacteria. The results usually take several weeks. A laboratory test can also indicate if it's a drug-resistant form of the bacteria. This information helps your health professional to choose the best treatment.

Other laboratory tests

Other laboratory tests that may be ordered are:

• The breath test.
• The procedure to remove sputum from the lungs with a special tuband.
• Urine test.
• Testing of the fluid around the spinal column and the brain, called cerebrospinal fluid.

Treatment

If you have a latent TB infection, your health care professional may start with the treatments. This is especially true for people with HIV/AIDS or other factors that increase the risk of active TB disease. The majority of latent TB infection treatment for three or four months.

Active TB disease can be treated for four, six or nine months. Specialists in the treatment of TB will determine which medications are best for you.

You can havand regular appointments to see if you're improving and to monitor side effects.

Take all medications

It is important to take all doses according to the instructions. And you should complete the full course of treatment. This is important to remove the bacteria inour body and prevent new bacteria resistant to the drugs.

The department of public health can use a program called directly observed therapy (DOT). With DOT, a health care worker home visits to see that you take your dosage of the medication.

Some professionals departments have programs that allow you to take your medications on your own. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has printable forms that you can use to keep track of your daily doses.

Most common drugs for TUBERCULOSIS

If you have a latent TB infection, you might need to take only one or two types of drugs. (5p12-13) Active TB disease requires taking several medications. (1p14) Common used to treat tuberculosis include:

• Isoniazid.
• Rifampin (Rimactane).
• Rifabutin (Mycobutin).
• Rifapentine (Priftin).
• Pyrazinamide.
• Ethambutol (Myambutol).

You may be prescribed other medications if you have tuberculosis resistant to the drugs or other complications of their disease.

Side effects of the medications

Most of the people can take TB medication without serious side effects. If you have serious side effects, your health care professional may ask you to stop taking a medication. You may need to change the doses of a drug.

Talk with your health care professional if you experience any of the following:

• Upset stomach.
• Vomiting.
• Loss of appetite.
• Severe diarrhea.
• The light color of the stool.
• Dark-colored urine.
• Yellowing of the skin or the color of the eyes.
• Changes in vision.
• Dizziness or problems with balance.
• Tingling in the hands or feet.
• Easy bruising or bleeding.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Unexplained tiredness.
• Sadness or depression.
• Rash.
• Joint pain.

It is important for you to the list of all the medicines, supplements or herbal remedies you are taking. You may need to stop taking some of these during your treatment.

Coping and support

The long plan of treatment for tuberculosis can be a challenge. Anger or frustration are normal. To speak with someone, like a therapist, can help you develop coping strategies.

Preparing for your appointment

It is likely that you will start with an appointment with your health care professional. You may be referred to a doctor that specializes in the treatment of infectious diseases.

What you can do

When you make the appointment, ask if there is something that you need to do beforehand.

Make a list of:

• Your symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment, and when they began.
• Key personal information, including recent changes in life or in international travel.
• All medications, vitamins or supplements that you take, including over-dose.
• Questions to ask your doctor.

For tuberculosis, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

• What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
• Need proof?
• What treatments are available? Which would I recommend?
• What if the treatment doesn't work?
• How long do I have to stay in treatment?
• How often should I continue with you?
• I have other health problems. How can I best manage these conditions?

What to expect from your doctor

Be prepared to answer the following questions during your appointment:

• What symptoms have you had?
• When did your symptoms begin?
• Do you have HIV or AIDS?
• He has been close to someone with active TB disease?
• He was born in another country?
• Have you traveled to another country?
• Were vaccinated against tuberculosis as a baby?
• Have you ever had tuberculosis or a positive TB skin test?
• Have taken TB medicine? If so, what type and for how long?
• What kind of work do you do?
• How much alcohol do you drink?
• Do you inject drugs?
• What drugs, supplements, or herbal remedies, do you take?