| Tuberculosis is a germ infection caused by | | | | Some of the TB symptoms are cough for a long |
| Mycobacterium tuberculosis which generally affects | | | | period of time, fever, night sweats, loss of weight |
| the lungs, but it can also affect kidneys, lymph | | | | and appetite, chest pains and breathing difficulties. |
| nodes, spine, intestinal tract and brain. | | | | To diagnose the infection with TB there are some |
| Tuberculosis is spreading by air, if an infected person | | | | tests to be done. |
| coughs sneezes or shouts, the germs spreading into | | | | One way to diagnose TB is by performing a skin test |
| the air. By inhaling them other people get infected. | | | | called the intra-dermal reaction of tuberculin. The |
| At the thoracic X-ray appear granulomas (granular | | | | person that is suspected to be or to have been |
| tumors) in the lungs. | | | | infected with TB is considered to have developed a |
| Most people's immune system contains the primary | | | | hypersensitivity to the TB germ. |
| infection, but some do not have this particularity, and | | | | The test consists in injecting into the skin a purified |
| so, the disease may occur within weeks after the | | | | protein derived from the TB germ. After more then |
| primary infection. | | | | 48 hours the skin area will present a bump. If the |
| Some people shed the TB germ into their lungs for | | | | bump is large, the test is considered to be positive, |
| years and at some moment the germs could activate | | | | meaning that the TB infection has occurred. |
| and the infection could manifest. | | | | Even if the test is negative, it should be repeated |
| The easiest to infect are the children and people who | | | | after a while, because the test is not a 100 percent |
| have a weakened immune system (those undergoing | | | | accurate. |
| chemotherapy, those who had an organ transplant | | | | Another method of diagnosing TB is performing a |
| and now take immunosuppressive drugs, and those | | | | thoracic X-ray that will show the affected lung areas. |
| infected with HIV). | | | | And last, but not the least, is the sputum test. If the |
| To prevent TB in children doctors give them shots of | | | | suspected person coughs, doctors take the sputum |
| the bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine. | | | | and with the help of the microscope they search for |
| The risk of catching TB increases with the frequency | | | | the TB germs in it. |
| of contacting other infected people, with miserable | | | | Also doctors can perform a Bronchoscopy, a |
| living conditions and with poor nutrition. | | | | Thoracocentesis and rarely, biopsy of the affected |
| Lately there has been noticed an increase of TB | | | | tissue. |
| cases in US, probably because of the increased | | | | For the treatment to be effective, patients must |
| number of people infected with HIV, the increased | | | | take their prescribed dugs during all the period of |
| number of homeless people and of the appearance | | | | time they were advised by the doctor, otherwise |
| of drug resistance (caused by an incomplete TB | | | | they could get multiple organ complications and even |
| treatment). | | | | die. |
| In US there are 10 cases of TB per 100000 people | | | | By following all the doctor's indications, one can cure |
| and those infected with AIDS are among them, due | | | | in about 6 to 9 months of TB and get back to its |
| to their weakened immune system. | | | | normal life. |