Treatment Options for Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is an airborne disease that spreads when an infected person sneezes or coughs or even talks, and then droplets go into the air and infect other people around him. People who spend time with the infected person every single day are most prone to the disease. Tuberculosis will usually affect the lungs, but it can spread to other organs in the body. In order to understand the different treatment options for tuberculosis, or TB, we have to understand the two different kinds of TB.

Dormant TB

• If you are exposed to TB, you may become infected; this does not mean that you will show symptoms, though. You may have the dormant type of TB that stays inactive in your body. Picture the bacteria just hiding out in your body until your immune system malfunctions for some reason, whether it be due to HIV or cancer treatments or some other reason. When this happens, they can come out and grow and cause full-blown tuberculosis. If you have dormant TB, then you probably only found out about it because you had a positive TB test; you won't show any other symptoms. You are also not infectious to other people.

Active TB

• You may have the dormant type of TB for a while, and then it may activate in your body; or you might even get sick right away with active TB after being exposed. If you have active TB, you are going to have symptoms, and you will be infectious to other people around you. You will have a very bad cough that lasts for weeks, night sweats, poor appetite, chills and fever, and you may cough up blood, as well as have chest pain. You will also feel very weak and just not have any strength or energy.

Treatment for Dormant TB

• The treatment for dormant TB is just a prevention method to keep the bacteria from activating and causing TB disease. This treatment will actually get rid of the bacteria altogether. The doctor will prescribe a single medication for you called INH, or Isoniazid. You will have to take this medication either once a day or twice a week for nine months. This medication is very toxic to your liver and can cause drug-induced hepatitis. You shouldn't take Tylenol or drink while on INH. You should keep regular appointments with your doctor, so that he can watch for any abnormal effects of the medication.

Treatment for Active TB

• If you have active TB, the doctor will most likely prescribe four different medications for you to take. It is crucial that you do not stop taking these medications unless your doctor tells you to do so because this can cause the bacteria to become drug-resistant, which can cause much frustration in trying to treat. These four medications are Isoniazid, Rifampin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide. In the beginning, you will take these medications for two months, then the doctor may make changes, while keeping you on medications for four to seven months. These medicines again are very toxic to your liver, so regular appointments with your doctor are necessary, and it is important for you to report any side effects, such as upset stomach/throwing up, upper right abdominal pain, and a yellow tint to the whites of your eyes and your skin. If you have a child with TB, ethambutol cannot be used, but streptomycin can be used in its place. Also, if you are pregnant, pyrazinamide should not be taken.

Treatment for Drug-Resistant TB

• If your strain of TB is resistant to the medication, this means that your doctor will have to be very aggressive in treatment. He may have to mix an assortment of medications in order to fight off the disease, and if treatment does not work, you could possibly die. You may be on medications for as long as two years, if you live, and then you might have to undergo surgery to get rid of portions of the organs that are too damaged from the infection.