Understanding Tuberculosis: 6 Facts to Know

Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease usually affecting the lungs. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from infectious agents and has caused over 1.5 million deaths in 2018. The bacteria causing tuberculosis or TV spread via tiny droplets released into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

There are two kinds of tuberculosis infections

• Latent TB the bacteria remain in an inactive state in the body. Latent TB shows no symptoms and is not contagious. But can become active. Treatment is important to prevent the spread of TB.
• Active TB the bacteria are active, cause symptom and is contagious. Symptoms occur a few weeks after being infected or may occur years later.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a person having active TB can vary but typical symptoms are:-

• Fever
• Night sweats. Persistent cough lasting for three or more weeks
• Coughing up blood
• Unexplained weight loss
• Lack of appetite
• Constant fatigue

Tuberculosis can affect other parts of your body like kidneys, spine or brain. The symptoms may vary depending on the organ affected.

You need to go to the best general physician in Ahmedabad, if you show any of the classics signs of the diseases. These symptoms can be caused by other disease but your doctor needs to diagnose your condition to determine the cause.

Causes

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium causes dreaded diseases. The disease is spread through contaminated droplets in the air. These droplets spread when the infected person coughs, sneezes, talks or spits. The risk of getting infected is higher if you live or work with someone infected. People who have received treatment for at least 2 weeks are no longer contagious.

Diagnosis

The best doctor in Ahmedabad, will check your lymph nodes for signs of swelling and use a stethoscope to check your breathing. TB can be detected through a skin test or TB blood test.

• During the skin test, a small amount of fluid called tuberculin is injected into the top layer of your skin. The results usually appear 48 to 72 hrs after the injection was administered. If there are bumps or thickening of the skin at the site where the injection was administered you may be infected. This test is not definitive and can show positive results if you have recently received the TB vaccine.
• The best doctor near me may order blood tests at home to investigate the presence or absence of the TB bacteria.
• Imaging tests like an X-ray may be ordered if you have a positive result for the skin test.
• Sputum tests or mucus tests are used to determine if you are infected with active TB.

Treatment

Treating tuberculosis is different than a traditional bacterial infection. The best doctors in Ahmedabad will prescribe antibiotics that need to be taken for 6 to 9 months. The length of the treatment may vary depending on your overall health, whether the TB is active or latent, the location of the infection, and the possibility of drug resistance. Latent TB can be treated with antibiotics while active TB is treated with multiple medications.

After your symptoms recede and you begin to feel better you may be tempted to discontinue your medication but it is important to complete the full course of treatment following the instructions of the doctor near me. Stopping medication or missing a dose could lead to drug-resistant TB which is much tougher to treat.

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