Tuberculosis Description

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a highly infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs, but can attack the whole body. It can be fatal. Some people infected with tuberculosis are not symptomatic since tuberculosis can remain a dormant or active disease.

Transmission

• Tuberculosis spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks and releases infective droplets in the air. Tuberculosis does not spread from sharing food, water and personal items or kissing.

Symptoms

• Tuberculosis causes a severe cough usually lasting for a few weeks, sometimes containing blood. Infected people experience loss of appetite, fever, weight loss, chills, chest pain, fatigue and weakness.

Latent Tuberculosis

• Latent tuberculosis does not cause any symptoms and is not infective, but does show up in blood tests. However, once if the body is not longer able to fight off the bacteria it may become active tuberculosis. Latent tuberculosis treatment involves a nine-month prescription of Isoniazid.

Diagnosis

• The Mantoux tuberculin test injects a fluid called tuberculin under the skin. After one to two days, a physician checks the skin's reaction. Another way to diagnose tuberculosis is a blood test, which measures the immune system's reaction to tuberculosis bacteria.

Treatment

• Treating tuberculosis requires taking four different medications--Isoniazid, Rifampin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide--for a period of six to 12 months. Not following the recommended directions for taking these medications could result in resistant TB, requiring treatment that is more aggressive.