Tuberculosis or TB is a very serious condition that affects a person’s lungs. TB kills millions of people all across the globe each and every year and is a disease that is continuously on the rise. The disease is spreading dramatically due to an increase in bacteria and a growing resistance for drugs that are currently on the market. The disease itself can be defined as an infection but is scientifically labeled as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. TB can affect any part of the body but the most common part is the lungs. The disease often begins in the lungs and then can spread further throughout the body very rapidly.
The danger of TB is that it can be spread very easily through coughing, sneezing or any other process that distributes bacteria. However, in most instances if you are healthy there is very little chance that you will contract TB just by simply breathing it in. The problem is that anyone with an inefficient immune system can be very susceptible. If your body is unable to fight off the bacteria then the condition can affect the lungs and all other areas. The disease may not even activate until months or even years after it is contracted.
The first symptoms of TB include a dry cough that continues to worsen at a steady pace. After a while, a patient will start to cough up phlegm that contains some blood traces. On top of this a sufferer may experience a loss in appetite, fever and constant chest pains. If the problem is not diagnosed the lungs can be severely damaged which can lead to breathing problems. This can also lead to an infection that can cause death in a lot of cases.
Tuberculosis is a condition that has been present for a staggering number of years and it is actually a lot more common that most people realize. In some instances it is thought TB was responsible for over 20 percent of all deaths in the earlier centuries. There have been advances in medicine and treatment that have lowered these rates but it is still a very fatal disease. Penicillin alone has played a major role in the decline of the TB death rate but it has begun to rise again as people are becoming immune to the medicine.
In many cases the development of TB is attributed to poor health and a bad diet. However there are a number of other causes that have ensured that tuberculosis is a very dangerous disease. To this day it is still responsible for over three million deaths per year. The most common way to diagnose TB is through a skin prick test that reveals infection. Yet in some cases can take a couple of months for the tests to come back conclusive enough to determine that the condition is present.
Antibiotics are the main form of treatment known to this day and include a number of varying medications. A six month dose of pills such as pyrazinamine and athambutol are given to a patient to try and ward of the serious effects of the disease. Even if you being to feel better about three or four months, it is highly recommended that you continue to ingest the medication for the entire duration of the 6 month period. There is also a preventative vaccine that is available for people that carry an inherent risk for contracting the disease. In many cases the vaccine is thought to prevent the disease in at least 70 percent of cases.
© Insider Health
The danger of TB is that it can be spread very easily through coughing, sneezing or any other process that distributes bacteria. However, in most instances if you are healthy there is very little chance that you will contract TB just by simply breathing it in. The problem is that anyone with an inefficient immune system can be very susceptible. If your body is unable to fight off the bacteria then the condition can affect the lungs and all other areas. The disease may not even activate until months or even years after it is contracted.
The first symptoms of TB include a dry cough that continues to worsen at a steady pace. After a while, a patient will start to cough up phlegm that contains some blood traces. On top of this a sufferer may experience a loss in appetite, fever and constant chest pains. If the problem is not diagnosed the lungs can be severely damaged which can lead to breathing problems. This can also lead to an infection that can cause death in a lot of cases.
Tuberculosis is a condition that has been present for a staggering number of years and it is actually a lot more common that most people realize. In some instances it is thought TB was responsible for over 20 percent of all deaths in the earlier centuries. There have been advances in medicine and treatment that have lowered these rates but it is still a very fatal disease. Penicillin alone has played a major role in the decline of the TB death rate but it has begun to rise again as people are becoming immune to the medicine.
In many cases the development of TB is attributed to poor health and a bad diet. However there are a number of other causes that have ensured that tuberculosis is a very dangerous disease. To this day it is still responsible for over three million deaths per year. The most common way to diagnose TB is through a skin prick test that reveals infection. Yet in some cases can take a couple of months for the tests to come back conclusive enough to determine that the condition is present.
Antibiotics are the main form of treatment known to this day and include a number of varying medications. A six month dose of pills such as pyrazinamine and athambutol are given to a patient to try and ward of the serious effects of the disease. Even if you being to feel better about three or four months, it is highly recommended that you continue to ingest the medication for the entire duration of the 6 month period. There is also a preventative vaccine that is available for people that carry an inherent risk for contracting the disease. In many cases the vaccine is thought to prevent the disease in at least 70 percent of cases.
© Insider Health
