Tuberculosis is the bacterial infection of mainly the lungs but it may affect other organs also. Tuberculosis may also occur in the circulatory system, lymphatic system, central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system, bones, joints and skin.
There are two types of tuberculosis:-
a) Latent tuberculosis and b) Active tuberculosis
In latent (inactive) tuberculosis the organism is present in body but does not cause symptoms. The disease is non-contagious in this state.
In active tuberculosis the infection is present with symptoms. The disease is contagious in this state.
Amongst all types of tuberculosis 75 percent accounts for the Pulmonary type of tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is caused by bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The infection gets transmitted via tiny air droplets of the infected person while coughing, talking, sneezing or spitting.
After acquiring the infection any one of the following four things may happen:-
There may be no infection at all.
There may be latent infection.
There may be active infection or
There may be delayed infection (disease develops after several years post being in a latent tuberculosis state). It also referred to as Reactivation Tuberculosis.
The disease may get cured but the organism remains in body in dormant (non active) state and may cause the disease again. In some cases the disease may reoccur in just few weeks.
Infants, elderly and immuno-compromized state have increased risk of infection. There are a host of other risk factors like malnutrition, diabetes, previous tuberculosis infection, prolonged corticosteroid therapy, silicosis, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, gastrectomy, end stage kidney disease, vitamin deficiency, low body weight, chronic malabsorption syndrome, constant contact with the diseased person, international travel, drug or alcohol abuse and living in crowded places with inadequate sanitary conditions.
Medical and paramedical staff who is in contact with the tuberculosis patients is also at increased risk of contracting tuberculosis.
Symptoms may or may not develop in infected individuals.
However, amongst the symptomatic ones the classic symptom is chronic cough (3 or more weeks) along with blood tinged sputum. Chest pain during coughing or breathing may also be seen.
Accompanying symptoms like fever, chills, loss of appetite, weight loss and night sweats are also common.
Clubbed fingers, accumulation of fluid around lungs and enlarged tender lymph nodes in the neck region and other parts are some of the common the signs of tuberculosis.
Medical history, physical examination, chest x-ray, culture of the sputum sample, blood tests, CT scan of the chest, tuberculin skin test, bronchoscopy and biopsy of the affected tissue are some of the tests done to diagnose tuberculosis.
The treatment is aimed at destroying the bacteria using drugs. The treatment includes combination of several drugs (normally four). Here it is very important to take the entire dose of the prescribed drug at prescribed time intervals to prevent development of drug resistance in the bacterium.
In case of resistance the infection becomes difficult to treat. Normally the treatment is required for six months but in some cases it may be longer also.
The anti-tuberculosis medications used for the treatment includes amongst others rifampicin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide and isoniazid.
Along with the medications a diet high on nutritive value too is important and requires to be followed diligently by the affected individual.
If the disease is diagnosed and treated at early stage the prognosis is good. Symptomatic relief is seen in two to three weeks but to the see the improvement in X-ray, it takes longer time.
If the disease is not treated in time it can cause permanent injury to the lungs. Rash, vision changes and orange or brown colored tears or urine are the complications of tuberculosis. Other complications are meningitis, milliary tuberculosis (spread of tuberculosis throughout the body), bone infection, and lung damage.
There could be some effects from the anti-tuberculosis medications may too.
If there are symptoms of tuberculosis, recurrent symptoms of tuberculosis, exposure to tuberculosis or if treatment is not effective then it is better to contact the medical personal immediately.
