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TUBERCULOSIS
By peace | October 26, 2005
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacteria called mycobacterium tuberculosis. This germ enters the body through the air (usually that which has been coughed out by someone who is an infectious case of tuberculosis) that you breathe and causes an infection usually in the lungs.
Can tuberculosis affect other parts of the body?
It may also infect other parts of the body, including the lymph-nodes, the covering of the heart known as the pericardium, the bones and joints, the liver, brain and the intestines.
Symptoms of Tuberculosis
Persistent cough, sometimes this may be productive of blood stained sputum, fever with shaking chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, loss of weight, easy fatiguability may be seen in patients with tuberculosis.
How do I know whether I have tuberculosis (lungs)?
A screening chest x-ray can be done. Though a normal x-ray does not exclude tuberculosis, there is a much lower likelihood of having active lung tuberculosis if the chest x-ray is normal.
Is there a test for tuberculosis?
Besides an abnormal chest x-ray that may suggest possible active tuberculosis, sputum tests need to be done to confirm it. If the patient cannot produce sputum, a laryngeal swab (a swab taken from part of the throat) may be taken. Sometimes bronchoscopy is performed to confirm the diagnosis. This involves obtaining a specimen via a flexible endoscope used to examine the airways. These specimens are specially stained and examined under the microscope for the tuberculosis germ, as well as sent for cultures (may take several weeks). In some cases, both the smears and cultures are negative but the patient responds to treatment with medication for tuberculosis with resolution of his symptoms and an improvement in chest x-rays done serially.
Can tuberculosis be cured?
Active tuberculosis can be treated very effectively with a combination of appropriate drugs. Treatment may take up to 6 months or more, but as long as they are taken as prescribed, the disease usually be cured.
Topics: Diseases |
