Tuberculosis
- Overview. Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. ...
- Symptoms. Although your body can harbor the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, your immune system usually can prevent you from becoming sick.
- Causes. ...
- Risk factors. ...
- Complications. ...
- Prevention. ...
Full Answer
What are some interesting facts about tuberculosis?
This includes:
- individuals who work in institutions or facilities which house people who are at high risk for this condition, like – homeless shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and residential homes ...
- seniors;
- children have a higher risk of developing the most severe forms of TB;
- people living with HIV infection;
What are facts about tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis complications include:
- Spinal pain. Back pain and stiffness are common complications of tuberculosis.
- Joint damage. Arthritis that results from tuberculosis (tuberculous arthritis) usually affects the hips and knees.
- Swelling of the membranes that cover your brain (meningitis). ...
- Liver or kidney problems. ...
- Heart disorders. ...
What are the common symptoms of tuberculosis?
Symptoms of active, pulmonary TB include:
- A cough that lasts for more than three weeks
- A cough that produces green or yellow sputum (phlegm) that may also be streaked with blood
- Shortness of breath or chest pain
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Night sweats
- Fever
How to tell if you have tuberculosis?
The most common symptoms of TB are:
- a cough for three weeks or longer
- weight loss
- loss of appetite
- high temperature or fever
- night sweats
- extreme tiredness or lack of energy.
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How is tuberculosis defined?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection that usually attacks your lungs. It can also spread to other parts of your body, like your brain and spine. A type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it.
What is tuberculosis disease Wikipedia?
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in which case it is known as latent tuberculosis.
What are the 3 types of tuberculosis?
There are 3 stages of TB—exposure, latent, and active disease. A TB skin test or a TB blood test can diagnose the disease. Treatment exactly as recommended is necessary to cure the disease and prevent its spread to other people.
What are the 5 causes of TB?
Risk factors for TB include:Poverty.HIV infection.Homelessness.Being in jail or prison (where close contact can spread infection)Substance abuse.Taking medication that weakens the immune system.Kidney disease and diabetes.Organ transplants.More items...
Where is tuberculosis found?
About half of all people with TB can be found in 8 countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa. About one-quarter of the world's population is estimated to be infected by TB bacteria. Only 5-15% of these people will fall ill with active TB disease.
How did tuberculosis start?
TB in humans can be traced back to 9,000 years ago in Atlit Yam, a city now under the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Israel. Archeologists found TB in the remains of a mother and child buried together. The earliest written mentions of TB were in India (3,300 years ago) and China (2,300 years ago).
What is the treatment of tuberculosis?
The usual treatment is: 2 antibiotics (isoniazid and rifampicin) for 6 months. 2 additional antibiotics (pyrazinamide and ethambutol) for the first 2 months of the 6-month treatment period.
How can we prevent tuberculosis?
Protect your family and friends from TB – take ALL your TB drugs!Who Should be Tested.Testing for TB Infection.Testing in BCG-Vaccinated Persons.TB Screening and Testing of Health Care Personnel.Testing During Pregnancy.Diagnosing latent TB infection and TB disease.
How do you detect TB?
There are two kinds of tests used to detect TB bacteria in the body: the TB skin test (TST) and TB blood tests. A positive TB skin test or TB blood test only tells that a person has been infected with TB bacteria. It does not tell whether the person has latent TB infection (LTBI) or has progressed to TB disease.
How does TB cause death?
“Eventually, liquid replaces the lungs, the suffering patients cannot get enough oxygen, and respiratory failure occurs, they can no longer breathe and they drown. It's painful, it's drawn out. It's an awful way to die.
How long does TB last?
Most people with TB disease will need to take TB medicine for at least 6 months to be cured.
How does TB affect the body?
The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected.
How is TB transmitted in human?
Tuberculosis is spread through the air when a person with untreated TB disease of the lungs coughs, sneezes, laughs, or sings. A person must be in close contact with someone with untreated TB disease of the lungs for a long period of time and needs to breathe in TB germs for infection to occur.
How does tuberculosis affect the body?
The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected.
What bacteria causes tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria. It is spread through the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks or sings, and people nearby breathe in these bacteria and become infected.
What is the treatment of tuberculosis?
The usual treatment is: 2 antibiotics (isoniazid and rifampicin) for 6 months. 2 additional antibiotics (pyrazinamide and ethambutol) for the first 2 months of the 6-month treatment period.
How old is tuberculosis?
In 2014, results of a new DNA study of a tuberculosis genome reconstructed from remains in southern Peru suggest that human tuberculosis is less than 6,000 years old.
Where did tuberculosis originate?
In 2008, evidence for tuberculosis infection was discovered in human remains from the Neolithic era dating from 9,000 years ago, in Atlit Yam, a settlement in the eastern Mediterranean. This finding was confirmed by morphological and molecular methods; to date it is the oldest evidence of tuberculosis infection in humans.
What is the most recent common ancestor of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex?
Origins. Scientific work investigating the evolutionary origins of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex has concluded that the most recent common ancestor of the complex was a human-specific pathogen, which underwent a population bottleneck.
How did TB spread?
In South America, reports of a study in August 2014 revealed that TB had likely been spread via seals that contracted it on beaches of Africa, from humans via domesticated animals, and carried it across the Atlantic. A team at the University of Tübingen analyzed tuberculosis DNA in 1,000-year-old skeletons of the Chiribaya culture in southern Peru; so much genetic material was recovered that they could reconstruct the genome. They learned that this TB strain was related most closely to a form found only in seals. In South America, it was likely contracted first by hunters who handled contaminated meat. This TB is a different strain from that prevalent today in the Americas, which is more closely related to a later Eurasian strain.
Why is TB called the robber of youth?
At the time, tuberculosis was called the robber of youth, because the disease had higher death rate among young people. Other names included the Great White Plague and the White Death, where the "white" was due to the extreme anaemic pallor of those infected. In addition, TB has been called by many as the "Captain of All These Men of Death".
What is the name of the disease that was first described in the Atharvaveda?
The oldest of them ( Rigveda, 1500 BC) calls the disease yaksma. The Atharvaveda calls it balasa. It is in the Atharvaveda that the first description of scrofula is given. The Sushruta Samhita, written around 600 BC, recommends that the disease be treated with breast milk, various meats, alcohol and rest.
Where was TB epidemic?
Epidemic tuberculosis. In the 18 th and 19 th century, tuberculosis (TB) had became epidemic in Europe, showing a seasonal pattern. In the 18 th century, TB had a mortality rate as high as 900 deaths (800–1000) per 100,000 population per year in Western Europe, including in places like London, Stockholm and Hamburg.
Why do people get tuberculosis?
People usually get tuberculosis because of a weakened immune system. Many people with HIV and AIDS can also get tuberculosis.
How common is TB?
This world map shows the prevalence of TB, per 100.000 people, as of 2007. Countries with more cases are shown yellow, those with fewer cases are shown in blue. The most cases were recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa, many occurred in Asia as well.
How many people died from tuberculosis in 2010?
In 2010, about 8.8 million new cases developed and nearly 1.5 million people died from the disease, most of them in developing countries. The number of tuberculosis cases has been decreasing since 2006, and new cases have decreased since 2002. Tuberculosis does not happen at the same rate around the world.
How do you know if you have tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis can have many symptoms. The most common include: 1 A cough that does not go away, especially if the person is coughing up blood (this is called hemoptysis) 2 Chest pain 3 Not having any appetite 4 Weakness 5 Weight loss 6 Chills 7 Very pale skin 8 Listless eyes 9 Fever 10 Sweating a lot at night 11 Difficulty breathing 12 Feel 13 her people who have TB. For example, TB can spread easily in homeless shelters, prisons, and immigrant communities.
What test is used to detect TB?
Doctors use a skin test, called the Mantoux test, to detect latent TB. They often do blood tests too. There is a vaccine against some forms of tuberculosis. It is called bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine. TB used to be easily treated and cured with antibiotics.
What is the growth pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
A close up of a culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patches that look like foam are the typical growth pattern of these bacteria. Diagnosis of active TB relies on radiology. Doctors often look at an X-ray of the chest. In addition, they check body fluids. These fluids have microbes in them, which are grown in cell cultures.
What is it called when you cough up blood but it doesn't go away?
A cough that does not go away, especially if the person is coughing up blood (this is called hemoptysis)
What is the cause of tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spread from person to person through microscopic droplets released into the air. This can happen when someone with the untreated, active form of tuberculosis coughs, speaks, sneezes, spits, laughs or sings.
Where is tuberculosis common?
This recommendation includes people who: Are from a country where TB is common, such as several countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
How is tuberculosis spread?
The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from person to person through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.
What is the drug that is resistant to tuberculosis?
Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis emerge when an antibiotic fails to kill all of the bacteria it targets. The surviving bacteria become resistant to that drug and often other antibiotics as well. Some TB bacteria have developed resistance to the most commonly used treatments, such as isoniazid and rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane).
How to get rid of tuberculosis in the first week?
Don't go to work or school or sleep in a room with other people during the first few weeks of treatment. Ventilate the room. Tuberculosis germs spread more easily in small closed spaces where air doesn't move. If it's not too cold outdoors, open the windows and use a fan to blow indoor air outside.
Why did tuberculosis increase in the 1980s?
HIV and TB. Since the 1980s, tuberculosis cases have increased dramatically because of the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV suppresses the immune system, making it difficult for the body to control TB bacteria.
Why did tuberculosis start increasing in the US?
Once rare in developed countries, tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985, partly because of the emergence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS . HIV weakens a person's immune system, so it can't fight the TB germs. In the United States, because of stronger control programs, tuberculosis began to decrease again in 1993. But it remains a concern.
What organs can Mycobacterium tuberculosis affect?
These can affect any organ such as the brain, intestine, ovaries, breast, lungs, esophagus, liver, pancreas, bones, and many others.
What is a tuberculoma tumor?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. A tuberculoma is a clinical manifestation of tuberculosis which conglomerates tubercles into a firm lump, and so can mimic cancer tumors of many types in medical imaging studies.
How many people were cured of tuberculosis in 1891?
In February of 1891, a medical trial was performed on 1769 patients that were administered with tuberculin, and the verdict of the treatment became evidently clear that is was not a true cure. Tuberculin failed to provide any form of protective agency as only 1% of people in the trial were cured, 34% of people showed only a slight amount of improvement, 55% of the patients showed little to no change in their health, and 4% had passed away due to the treatment having no effect.
What is tuberculin made of?
Tuberculin is made out of an extract of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
How long did tuberculin treatment last?
When the tuberculin treatment was first given to patients in 1890, a febrile reaction that lasted between four and five hours was recorded in most patients. The symptoms of these reactions included a fever that was accompanied by vomiting, rigors, or other forms of constitutional symptoms.
What is tuberculin skin test?
Tuberculin, also known as purified protein derivative, is a combination of proteins that are used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. This use is referred to as the tuberculin skin test and is recommended only for those at high risk. Reliable administration of the skin test requires large amounts of training, supervision, and practice.
What was the only effective treatment for an infectious disease?
Until that time, the only effective remedy for an infectious disease was quinine, which was used to treat malaria. At the Tenth International Medical Congress held in 1890 in Berlin, Koch unexpectedly introduced a cure for tuberculosis, which he called tuberculin.
When is it safe to take a tuberculin test?
Use is safe in pregnancy. Tuberculin was discovered in 1890 by Robert Koch.
Did Koch have a tuberculin scam?
Koch remained convinced of the value of his cure. In 1897, he presented a modified form of tuberculin, which was also useless as a therapeutic agent. This presentation, and numerous other indications, suggest that he did not intend to commit a "tuberculin scam" (a common accusation), but that he had deluded himself.
Overview
Throughout history, the disease tuberculosis has been variously known as consumption, phthisis, and the White Plague. It is generally accepted that the causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis originated from other, more primitive organisms of the same genus Mycobacterium. In 2014, results of a new DNA study of a tuberculosis genome reconstructed from remains in southern Peru suggest that human tuberculosis is less than 6,000 years old. Even if researchers …
Origins
Scientific work investigating the evolutionary origins of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex has concluded that the most recent common ancestor of the complex was a human-specific pathogen, which underwent a population bottleneck. Analysis of mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units has allowed dating of the bottleneck to approximately 40,000 years ago, which corresponds to the period subsequent to the expansion of Homo sapiens sapiens out of Africa. …
Tuberculosis in early civilization
In 2008, evidence for tuberculosis infection was discovered in human remains from the Neolithic era dating from 9,000 years ago, in Atlit Yam, a settlement in the eastern Mediterranean. This finding was confirmed by morphological and molecular methods; to date it is the oldest evidence of tuberculosis infection in humans.
Evidence of the infection in humans was also found in a cemetery near Heidelberg, in the Neolithic bone …
The East
The first references to tuberculosis in non-European civilization is found in the Vedas. The oldest of them (Rigveda, 1500 BC) calls the disease yaksma. The Atharvaveda calls it balasa. It is in the Atharvaveda that the first description of scrofula is given. The Sushruta Samhita, written around 600 BC, recommends that the disease be treated with breast milk, various meats, alcohol and rest. The Yajurveda advises affected individuals to move to higher altitudes.
Classical antiquity
Hippocrates, in Book 1 of his Of the Epidemics, describes the characteristics of the disease: fever, colourless urine, cough resulting in a thick sputa, and loss of thirst and appetite. He notes that most of those affected became delirious before they died from the disease. Hippocrates and many other at the time believed phthisis to be hereditary in nature. Aristotle disagreed, believing the di…
Pre-Columbian America
In South America, reports of a study in August 2014 revealed that TB had likely been spread via seals that contracted it on beaches of Africa, from humans via domesticated animals, and carried it across the Atlantic. A team at the University of Tübingen analyzed tuberculosis DNA in 1,000-year-old skeletons of the Chiribaya culture in southern Peru; so much genetic material was recovered that they could reconstruct the genome. They learned that this TB strain was related …
Europe: Middle Ages and Renaissance
During the Middle Ages, no significant advances were made regarding tuberculosis. Avicenna and Rhazes continued to consider to believe the disease was both contagious and difficult to treat. Arnaldus de Villa Nova described etiopathogenic theory directly related to that of Hippocrates, in which a cold humor dripped from the head into the lungs.
Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
Franciscus Sylvius began differentiating between the various forms of tuberculosis (pulmonary, ganglion). He was the first person to recognize that the skin ulcers caused by scrofula resembled tubercles seen in phthisis, noting that "phthisis is the scrofula of the lung" in his book Opera Medica, published posthumously in 1679. Around the same time, Thomas Willis concluded that all diseases of the chest must ultimately lead to consumption. Willis did not know the exact cause …
How It Spreads
Detection and Treatment
- Diagnosis of active TB relies on radiology. Doctors often look at an X-ray of the chest. In addition, they check body fluids. These fluids have microbes in them, which are grown in cell cultures. The cell cultures are then analysed to see if the person is infected with TB. If the patient has TB, but does not show symptoms, the disease is 'latent'. Doctors use a skin test, called the Mantoux test…
Symptoms
- Tuberculosis can have many symptoms. The most common include: 1. A cough that does not go away, especially if the person is coughing up blood (this is called hemoptysis) 2. Chest pain 3. Not having any appetite 4. Weakness 5. Weight loss 6. Chills 7. Very pale skin 8. Listless eyes 9. Fever 10. Sweatinga lot at night 11. Difficulty breathing 12. Feeling very tired 13. People are also more …
How Common Is TB?
- Experts believe that one third of the world population is infected with M. tuberculosis. New infections occur at a rate of one per second. In 2007, about 13.7 million chronic cases were active globally. In 2010, about 8.8 million new cases developed and nearly 1.5 million people died from the disease, most of them in developing countries.The number of tuberculosis cases has been d…
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