Tuberculosis (patient information)

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What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis, or TB is a bacterial infection that kills 3 million people worldwide, more people than any other infection in the world. Approximately one-third of the world is infected, and 15 million people in the US. Active tuberculosis kills 60% of the time if not treated, but treatment cures 90% of patients.

Most people are infected with TB have latent TB. This means that the bacteria is controlled by the body's immune system. People with latent TB do not have symptoms and cannot transmit TB to other people. However, later if the infected person has a weakened immune system, from AIDS or another infection, the bacteria can break out leading to active TB.

What are the symptoms of Tuberculosis?

Latent TB is held in the alveoli of the lungs. As active TB develops, the bacteria spreads out from the alveoli to the lungs and then to other organ systems, killing cells and making granulomas. As a result, depending on what organ system is affected, the symptoms can be very different. Some symptoms of early active TB include:

• weight loss
• fever
• night sweats
• loss of appetite

What to do if you think you have Tuberculosis

Latent Tuberculosis can be detected about 6-8 weeks after exposure. A common test is a skin test, where substance called PPD, is injected underneath the forearm. If a red welt forms at the injection site, they may have Latent or Active TB. Latent TB is sometimes called PPD-positive.

Diagnosing active TB can be done with a combination of symptoms, patient history (any known exposure to TB), and x-rays. X-rays of the lungs often show can show cavities or legions that are typical of TB.

How is Tuberculosis spread?

Tuberculosis is spread from person to person through the air as person with active tuberculosis coughs or sneezes. Tuberculosis is not often spread on surfaces or by objects of a person infected with active tuberculosis.

Treatment

Typical treatment involves one or a few antibiotics for months. TB is notorious for having a lengthy treatment procedure. After two weeks of treatment, people are typically no longer contagious. Some of the medications given for TB have some negative side effects, especially in combination with other drugs. For these reasons, some patients find it very difficult to take their medicine for the necessary duration. However, doing so may make the bacteria resistant to the antibiotics and make treatment even more difficult in the future.

Where to find medical care for Tuberculosis

Directions to Hospitals Treating Tuberculosis