Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) is the deadliest infectious disease worldwide, and it’s an extremely serious condition. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) considered completely ending this disease an urgency, and it’s seeking to get there by all means.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs, but it might affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, spine, or kidneys.

A person might get infected with TB without showing any symptoms, and this condition is called latent or inactive TB. Tuberculosis might also stay latent in the body for a lifetime, but it could be reactivated when the immune system becomes weakened.

Causes and risk factors leading to tuberculosis (TB)

• TB occurs when getting infected with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that enters the body when inhaling the air that’s infected with it.
• Tuberculosis disease spreads through the droplets that are released when a person who is infected with active TB speaks, coughs, sneezes, laughs, etc.
• Getting infected with TB increases when spending time with an infected person indoors.
• Latent tuberculosis doesn’t cause infection to others.
• The risk of having TB increases in people with weak immunity, such as people with AIDS, diabetes, cancer, who are taking chemotherapy, severe kidney disease, malnutrition, who take medications to prevent the rejection of a transplant, and who take steroids for a long time.
• The risk of a latent TB becoming active increases in children under the age of 5 and the elderly over 65 years old.

Symptoms of tuberculosis (TB)

TB symptoms usually start mild and worsen with time, and they include:

• Cough that might be accompanied by blood or sputum.
• Chest pain.
• Fever and chills.
• Night sweats.
• Pain when breathing or coughing.
• Loss of appetite and weight loss.
• General fatigue.
• Infants might have symptoms due to a swelling in the fluid around the brain or spine, such as being sluggish, unusually fussy, not feeding properly, not growing properly, and vomiting.
• TB might become drug-resistant due to the genetic changes in the bacteria or not using the antibiotics correctly.

Diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB)

• Lab tests.
• Imaging tests.

Treatment and prevention of tuberculosis (TB)

Treatment is antibiotics, and you must fully adhere to the treatment so that the disease doesn’t relapse or become resistant.

You can reduce the risk of contracting and spreading TB by:

• Frequently washing the hands.
• Covering the mouth when coughing.
• Avoiding close contact with others.
• In case of having the disease, you must stay at home until recovery.
• There is a vaccine for TB that is only given to children and infants in places where tuberculosis is widespread.