Tuberculosis - a full recovery is not guaranteed

Tuberculosis - a potentially serious infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis, are passed from person to person by droplet infection. Previously TB relatively rare in developed countries, but since 1885 the number of TB cases began to increase. This is partly due to the emergence of HIV. This virus weakens the immune system, and it can not fight the tuberculosis pathogens.

What is tuberculosis

Tuberculosis - is an infectious disease caused by mycobacteria are members of the genus. In most cases, TB affects the lungs but can develop in other areas of the body, e.g., kidney, spine, and brain. Tuberculosis is not only sick people, but also some animal species. Despite modern treatment, tuberculosis remains a very common disease, especially in developing countries.

Many strains of tuberculosis is resistant to drugs that are most commonly used to treat the disease. People with active TB often have to make multiple different types of drugs for many months to cure the infection and prevent the development of antibiotic resistance.

Epidemiology of Tuberculosis

According to WHO, tuberculosis kills more people than any other infectious disease. The number of victims of this disease exceeds the number of people who died from AIDS and malaria put together. Although the use of penicillin and other antibiotics has made the disease less dangerous, in some regions of the world TB is still very common. However, even the inhabitants of the developed countries can not be fully immune to the disease. Some statistics:

• Every second in the world someone is infected with TB.
• Currently, about a third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis.
• In 5-10% of those infected develop active tuberculosis. In HIV-infected individuals the chance of developing active TB is much higher;
• Anyone who suffers an open pulmonary tuberculosis, and does not receive the necessary treatment, infects an average of 10-15 people a year.

The prevalence of TB in the world

WHO and other international organizations, in cooperation with the governments of dozens of countries around the world are taking action to reduce the number of cases of open tuberculosis. The most important focus of a timely diagnosis of TB, and this should make health care more affordable for different groups, spread information about how to transfer the disease, its symptoms, as well as about what is dangerous tuberculosis - as it may affect quality of life, development of pregnancy on the course of other diseases, and so on.

Is TB curable?

Currently, tuberculosis successfully treated at various stages of disease development. However, to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome of the disease and to minimize the risk of complications, preferably as soon as possible to diagnose TB and start his treatment.

Symptoms

Although bacteria are the causative agents of tuberculosis, can live in the body for a long time, the immune system may prevent the normal development of the disease. For this reason, doctors make a distinction between:

Latent tuberculosis. When this condition is present in the body TB infection, but the bacteria remain inactive and do not cause any symptoms. Latent tuberculosis contagious.

Active tuberculosis. This abuse is not only sick man himself, but also can spread TB to others. The active form of TB can develop in the first few weeks after infection, and a few years later. Most people infected with the causative bacteria of tuberculosis never develop active TB.

Symptoms of active TB:

• Cough;
• Unexplained weight reduction;
• Fatigue;
• Heat;
• Sweating at night;
• Chills;
• Lack of appetite.
• In most cases tuberculosis infects the lungs. Symptoms of pulmonary TB include:
• A cough that lasts three weeks or more;
• Coughing up phlegm with blood;
• Chest pain and / or pain when breathing or coughing.

Tuberculosis can also affect other parts of the body, e.g., kidney, spine, and brain. In such cases, the symptoms depend on the organs involved in the disease. For example, spinal tuberculosis Tuberculosis of the spine - especially manifestations   It may cause pain in the back, and one of the symptoms of TB Symptoms of tuberculosis - easily overlooked   Kidney is the presence of blood in urine Blood in the urine - a reason for serious concern .

Contact your doctor if you have any of the above symptoms. They are not necessarily caused by tuberculosis, but in any case need to be examined to determine the cause.

Causes

TB is spread from person to person by droplet infection - this can happen, for example, if next to you coughs, speaks, sneezes, spits, laughs and sings a person with active tuberculosis.

Although tuberculosis is contagious, the infection is not very easy. It is much more likely to get it the person with whom you live or work than from a stranger. Furthermore, most people with active tuberculosis, which were appropriate medication for at least two weeks, are no longer infectious.

Tuberculosis and HIV

Since the 80s the number of TB cases has increased dramatically due to the spread of HIV. Do TB and HIV really deadly relationship - one stimulates the progression of the other.

HIV suppresses the immune system, which is why it becomes more difficult to fight TB-causing bacterium. As a result, the chance of developing active TB in HIV-positive is much more than those who are not infected with HIV.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis

Another reason that tuberculosis remains one of the main causes of death, is the increasing number of resistant bacteria. Since then, 60 years ago, antibiotics were used first to fight tuberculosis, the causative bacteria have learned to withstand the effects of drugs, and to transfer this ability is inherited. Drug-resistant bacteria emerge when an antibiotic kills all bacteria, against which it was used. The surviving bacteria are becoming resistant to the effects of this particular drug, and often to other antibiotics.

Risk factors

The following illnesses and medications can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of tuberculosis infection and the development of its active form:

• HIV / AIDS;
• Diabetes;
• The final stage of severe kidney disease;
• The procedures used for the treatment of cancer, in particular, chemotherapy;
• Drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted organs;
• Certain drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis - debunking myths about the disease Crohn's disease and psoriasis;
• Malnutrition;
• Old age.

People who live in the areas listed below, or live there, greater risk of tuberculosis infection:

• The region of sub-Saharan Africa;
• India;
• China;
• Mexico;
• The islands of Southeast Asia and Micronesia;
• Countries in the former Soviet Union.