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How does tuberculosis go from an inactive to an active state?

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a disease caused by bacteria that attack your lungs. According the Mayo Clinic, TB kills about 2 million people every year, especially in Africa and Asia.

  1. Function

    • You pick up the TB bacteria by inhaling it. In most cases, your immune system will kill the bacteria, but you can get a latent infection.

    Features

    • If you have a latent TB infection, the bacteria will grow in your lungs. Your immune system, however, will wall off the infection, keeping it dormant yet alive.

    Warning

    • The TB infection may reactivate behind the wall and begin growing again. According to the Mayo Clinic, researchers are not sure what reactivates TB, but it may be a compromised immune system.

    Potential

    • People with HIV have a greater chance of TB infections going from an inactive to active state. Other people at risk are the elderly, people with drug addictions and people undergoing chemotherapy.

    Time Frame

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, only one in 10 people who become infected with TB bacteria will get the active disease. Also, the disease is most likely to go from inactive to active in the two years following the infection.

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