Have you ever seen people who are constantly holding handkerchiefs and coughing badly? At the first visit, we think that these people have severe allergies or colds, but as time goes on, we notice the worsening of the situation and the presence of tuberculosis in the person. Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis that affects the lungs and is a contagious disease, but it usually spreads after being in close contact with an infected person for a long time, such as in family members who are together. A living house expands.
The immune system, which naturally defends itself against infection and disease, kills the bacterium in most healthy people and causes no symptoms, but sometimes the immune system can kill the bacteria but fails to spread it. The body prevents what is called latent tuberculosis because it has no symptoms.
If the immune system fails to kill the bacteria, they will infect the lungs or other parts of the body, and the symptoms of tuberculosis will appear within a few weeks or months, which is called active tuberculosis.
Latent TB can spread to active TB infection over time, especially when the immune system is weak.
In the last 20 years, the incidence of tuberculosis has gradually increased, especially among minorities in ethnic communities, and it is estimated that about one third of the world’s population is infected with latent tuberculosis.
How is tuberculosis treated?
This disease can be treated with appropriate treatment methods and usually requires a course of antibiotics for six months, but sometimes several different types of antibiotics are used because some types of tuberculosis are resistant to antibiotics.
Who is most at risk for TB?
It can affect everyone, but people who have been in contact with infected people for a long time, people with HIV whose immune systems are weak, people who have a poor diet due to their lifestyle, and other problems. Like drug abuse, alcohol abuse is more common in the homeless and in patients treated with corticosteroids, chemotherapy, or tumor necrosis factor (TNF).
Source: Home Patient
