Factsheet on TB

Globally tuberculosis or TB is on rise, WHO fact sheet on TB says that someone in the world is newly infected with TB bacilli every second. Every year March 24 is commemorated as World Tuberculosis day.

Unknown facts about TB

TB is a fatal disease with an ancient pedigree. The remains of Egyptian mummies have shown evidences of tubercular decay.

Regular inhaling of airborne germs expelled by coughing, sneezing, singing and spitting of a person with active tuberculosis infection spreads the disease.

 We wrongly believe that only people belonging to lower socio-economic strata get the disease, this is not true, anyone can get TB. Though living in cramped spaces like slums, prisons, homeless shelters do increase the chances of contracting infection.

It can happen to anyone. WHO fact sheet says that overall, one-third of the world’s population is currently infected with the TB bacillus.

 Tiny, airborne bacteria — called mycobacterium tuberculosis — that typically settle in your lungs causes the infection of TB. But it can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones and joints.

Getting an infection of TB does not mean that you have an active disease of TB and you can infect other people too. The immune system “walls off” the TB bacilli which, protected by a thick waxy coat, can lie dormant for years. Once immune system gets weakened–on its own or owing to other factors like–diabetes, renal diseases, old age and HIV infection, there is a greater possibility for the hibernating infection to turn in an active infection.

 Often we tend to associate persistent cough and blood in sputum as telltale signs of TB. The other lesser known symptoms are chest pain, swollen lymph nodes, mild fever, waking up in the middle of night drenched in sweat and weight loss.

 The treatment span of TB is usually understood as six to seven months. The duration can be longer, depending on the dosage of drugs, tolerability levels and the compliance of patient in taking medicines. Before you quit your TB medication, get in touch with your doctor.

 TB patients should save their first pre treatment x-ray. When the course of the medication is over, your doctor is going to use that x-ray, as a reference point to evaluate the healed lesion.

 You may start feeling better after a few weeks of medication but stopping it midway will make the bacteria more resilient and difficult to treat. Being on and off medication for a couple of times will lead to Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, a scarier version of TB. It is highly expensive and more difficult to treat and the tolerability level of drugs is particularly low for patients.

 DOTS–In this therapy health workers administer medicine to the patient under direct observation for free. The success rate of DOTS is high, as it eliminates chances of lapses.

Inputs— Dr. Manoj Nigam—Gurgaon based Chest Specialist and

WHO Fact sheet on TB

Related Posts

1. Tuberculosis–The New Challenges of an Old Disease
2. Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
3. TB can Happen to Anyone
4. Diet Guidelines for TB Patients on Medication
5. Dialysis–Plugging into Hope