TB is a disease that can cause a serious illness and can damage a person's organs.
Every year more than 25,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with TB disease. That's
only a fraction of the amount of people who carry the Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a rod-shaped bacterium. TB is spread through the air by
carriers of the germ. People who breathe the same air can become infected with the TB
germ. People who do work around or with people with the TB disease should take medicine.
TB infection means that the person has the TB germs but they are in an inactive state.
When TB germs enter the body, the immune system builds a wall around them. While TB germs
are inactive, they cannot cause any damage. These germs can stay alive for many years in
these walls and eventually break out. At this time TB is active then it becomes TB
disease. It can now affect the system's organs. A person can have TB disease shortly
after being infected with TB germs if the person's immune system is weak.
TB can attack any part of the system. The lungs are the most common area of attack.
People with the TB disease have one or more of the following symptoms: a cough that hangs
on, fevers, weight loss, night sweats, constant fatigue, and loss of appetite. A person
with the TB disease in the late stages will cough up blood streaked sputum. People who
have Active TB disease usually only have mild symptoms. There are three tests to
diagnose TB disease. One is the Tuberculin Mantoux PPD skin test; two is a Chest X-ray
which is given after the Skin test is positive; three Sputum Test reveals if TB germs are
in thick liquid a person coughs up. The Tuberculin Mantoux PPD skin test is given by
placing a substance called PPD Tuberculin under the top layer of the skin with a very
small needle and syringe. The doctor will inject the needle into the skin which will
only feel like a slight pen prick. A few days later the skin test reaction will be read
by a trained health worker. If the skin around the prick is raised and it is bigger or
the same size as a pencil eraser then the person is likely to have been infected with TB
germs. This does not mean he or she has TB disease. You should always retest yourself
even if the first test was negative for a few reasons. If your immune system has been
weakened, then your immune system may not react to the skin test. The test also might
have been taken too early after infection because the blood has not been infected.
Inactive and Active TB can be treated by various ways. If you work or are around people
with Active TB you should take medicine. Just because you are infected with TB germs
doesn't mean you have TB disease. Having inactive TB will not hurt you now but you could
develop TB disease later in life with out taking appropriate medicine. By taking
medicine now you can wipe out the germs before they become active. People who have other
illnesses that weaken their immune system should especially take medicine to prevent TB
disease. The most common medicine to take is called Isoniazid or INH. Almost everybody
can take INH. Some physicians will not give it to people over the age of thirty-five or
to people with health problems that might be affected by INH. You must take INH for six
months to completely wipe out TB germs. People who have other serious infections like
HIV usually need to take for a longer period of time. INH is a very safe drug but can
cause side-effects to some people. Changes you should look out for are yellowish skin,
dark urine, vomiting, loss of appetite, nausea, changes in eyesight, unexplained fever,
unexplained fatigue, and stomach cramps. There are other medicines as well for example
rifampin. There is also an unproven vaccination called the BCG Vaccination. People that
have had a BCG that have not had a skin test usually have to take the skin test when
applying for work or school related environments.
Bibliography
Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 96
Topic Search-Tuberculosis
Internet
Stanford University - Tuberculosis
http://molepi.stanford.edu/
Tuberculosis Resources
http://www.cpmc.comlumbia.edu/
World book
1997, Volume 19, Pages 389-391
The Merck Manual
1987, Fifteenth Edition, Pages 113-126
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