TUBERCULOSIS- Submitted by Devansh Sharma

 

       

           

                     TUBERCULOSIS

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted By

Devansh Sharma

Class XI-F

Roll No.- 12

Kulachi Hansraj Model School

Ashok Vihar, Delhi

 

 

  

 

 

 

TUBERCULOSIS

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection that usually attacks your lungs. It can also spread to other parts of your body, like your brain and spine. A type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it.  This bacterium is thought to be over 3 million years old. Knowledge of the disease dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. Tuberculosis, formerly called consumption, was the top cause of death in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century.

Tuberculosis Types

Primary TB. This is the first stage of a tuberculosis infection. Your immune system may be able to fight off the germs. But sometimes it doesn't destroy all of them, and they keep multiplying. You may not have any TB symptoms at this stage, or you might have a few flu-like symptoms. Latent TB. You have the germs in your body, but your immune system keeps them from spreading. You don’t have any symptoms, and you’re not contagious. But the infection is still alive and can one day become active. If you’re at high risk for reactivation, your doctor will give you medications to prevent active TB. This usually happens if you have HIV, you had an infection in the past 2 years, your chest X-ray is unusual, or your immune system is weakened.

Active TB. The germs multiply and make you sick. You can spread the disease to others. Some 90% of active cases in adults come from a latent TB infection.

Active TB outside the lungs. A tuberculosis infection that spreads from your lungs to other parts of the body is known as extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Your symptoms will depend on which part of your body the infection affects.

Tuberculosis Symptoms

Active tuberculosis symptoms in the lungs include:

·       A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks

·       Chest pain

·       Coughing up blood

·       Feeling tired all the time

·       Night sweats

·       Chills

·       Fever

·       Loss of appetite

·       Weight loss

Tuberculosis Causes

·        Tuberculosis bacteria spread through the air, just like a cold or the flu. You can get TB only if you come into contact with people who have it.

·        When someone who has TB coughs, sneezes, talks, laughs, or sings, they release tiny droplets that contain the germs. If you breathe in these germs, you can get the disease. This is why people who have active tuberculosis in their lungs or throat are more likely to infect others. You usually can't spread TB if you have it in other areas of your body. 

·        TB is not easy to catch. You’re most likely to get it from co-workers, friends, or family members with whom you spend lots of time indoors.

·        Tuberculosis germs don’t thrive on surfaces.

·        Shaking hands 

• Kissing
• Sharing food or drink
• Sharing bed sheets, towels, or toothbrushes
• Toilet seats 

Tuberculosis Risk Factors

·       A friend, co-worker, or family member has active TB.

·       You live in or have traveled to an area where TB is common, like Russia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

·       You’re part of a group in which TB is more likely to spread, or you work or live with someone who is. This includes people who are unhoused, people with HIV, those in jail or prison, and those who inject drugs.

·       You work or live in a hospital or nursing home.

·       You’re a health care worker for patients at high risk of TB.

·       You’re a smoker.

·       You're at higher risk of developing active TB if you have: 

·       HIV or AIDS

·       Diabetes

·       Serious kidney disease

·       Head or neck cancer

·       Low body weight and poor nutrition

How serious is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis can be fatal if you don't treat it. Over 1.5 million people worldwide died from tuberculosis in 2021. It's the second most deadly infectious disease (after COVID-19) and the 13th leading cause of death in the world.  But TB is treatable. The World Health Organization estimates that TB treatment saved 74 million lives between 2000 and 2021. 

 

Tuberculosis Treatment

Most cases are cured with antibiotics. But it takes a long time. You have to take medications for at least 6 to 9 months.

Your treatment will depend on your infection.

• If you have latent TB, your doctor will give you medication to kill the bacteria so the infection doesn’t become active. You might get isoniazid, rifampin, or rifapentine either alone or combined. You’ll have to take the drugs for 3 months or more. If you see any signs of active TB, call your doctor right away.
• A combination of medicines also treats active TB. The most common are ethambutol, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and rifampin. You’ll take them for 6 to 12 months.
• If you have drug-resistant TB, your doctor might give you one or more different medicines. You may have to take them for much longer, up to 30 months, and they can cause more side effects.

Drug-resistant TB

Some strains of TB are resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria become drug-resistant because of changes to their genetic makeup. That can happen randomly. But when antibiotics are overprescribed or used incorrectly, this speeds up the process. Whatever kind of infection you have, it’s important to finish taking all of your medications, even when you start feeling better

Tuberculosis Medication Side Effects

·       Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet

·       Upset stomach, nausea, and vomiting

·       Loss of appetite

·       Weakness

·       Tuberculosis Complications

·       Tuberculosis infection can cause complications such as:

·       Joint damage

·       Lung damage

·       Infection or damage of your bones, spinal cord, brain, or lymph nodes

·       Liver or kidney problems

·       Inflammation of the tissues around your heart

Tuberculosis Prevention

• If you’re traveling to a place where TB is common, avoid spending a lot of time in crowded places with sick people. 
• If you have a latent infection, take all your medication so it doesn’t become active and contagious.
• Limit contact with other people. If you live with others, sleep in a separate room and isolate yourself as much as possible. 
• Cover your mouth when you laugh, sneeze, or cough. 

·       Wear a surgical mask when you’re around other people.

·       Keep your space ventilated. Open windows, if possible, and use a fan. Germs spread more easily in poorly ventilated places. 

·       Tuberculosis vaccine

·       Children in countries where TB is common often get the BCG vaccine. It isn’t widely used in the U.S., and it doesn’t always protect against infection. Doctors recommend it only for children living with someone who has an active TB infection with a very drug-resistant strain or who can’t take antibiotics.