Tuberculosis is a potentially serious infectious bacterial disease that mainly affect the lungs.
The bacteria that cause TB are spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
CAUSES
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick.
SYMPTOMS
Most people infected with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis don’t have symptoms.
When symptoms do occur, they usually include a cough (sometimes blood-tinged), weight loss, night sweats and fever.
People may experience:
?️Pain areas: in the Chest
?️Pain circumstances: can occur while breathing
?️Cough: can be chronic or with blood
?️Whole body: chills, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, malaise, or night sweats
?️Also common: wasting, muscle atrophy, phlegm, shortness of breath, or swollen lymph nodes
HOW IT SPREADS
By airborne respiratory droplets (coughs or sneezes).
TB is spread from person to person through the air.
Tuberculosis is curable and preventable
TREATMENT
If you have latent TB, your doctor might recommend treatment with medication if you’re at high risk of developing active TB.
For active tuberculosis, you must take antibiotics for at least six to nine months.
The exact drugs and length of treatment depend on your age, overall health, possible drug resistance and where the infection is in your body.
Most common TB drugs
If you have latent tuberculosis, you might need to take only one or two types of TB drugs.
Active tuberculosis, particularly if it’s a drug-resistant strain, will require several drugs at once.
The most common medications used to treat tuberculosis include:
* Isoniazid
* Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
* Ethambutol (Myambutol)
* Pyrazinamide
If you have drug-resistant TB, a combination of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones and injectable medications, such as amikacin or capreomycin (Capastat), are generally used for 20 to 30 months.
Some types of TB are developing resistance to these medications as well.
Some drugs might be added to therapy to counter drug resistance, including:
* Bedaquiline (Sirturo)
* Linezolid (Zyvox)
Written by: Ruth Olusegun
