TB (tuberculosis): symptoms, causes, treatment, etc. & bull; hello healthy

Definition

What is tuberculosis (TB)?

Tuberculosis or TB is a disease caused by a bacterial infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lungs. This condition, sometimes also known as pulmonary TB.

The tuberculosis bacteria that attacks the lungs causes respiratory problems, such as chronic coughing and shortness of breath. TB sufferers usually also experience other symptoms such as night sweats and fever.

Treatment of tuberculosis usually takes months with strict medication rules to prevent the risk of antibiotic resistance.

If not treated promptly, TB can be fatal. Bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis can infect other parts of the body's organs, such as the kidneys, bones, joints, lymph nodes, or the lining of the brain, this condition is called extra pulmonary TB.

How common is this disease?

TB is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world. In 2018, 10 million people contracted the disease, and 1.5 million lost their lives as a result of this disease. A total of 251,000 of whom are people with HIV / AIDS.

In addition, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 95% of tuberculosis cases occur in developing countries. People with poor immune systems and malnutrition are more susceptible to infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis .

However, the incidence of this disease continues to decline every year. From 2000-2018, an estimated 58 million lives have been saved with existing medical treatments for tuberculosis.

Signs and symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of tuberculosis (TB)?

Tuberculosis in the lungs can cause TB symptoms such as:

• Cough that lasts 3 weeks or more
• Hard to breathe
• Pain in the chest
• Bleeding cough

Other symptoms of tuberculosis are:

• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Shivering
• Fever
• Night sweats

Meanwhile, in extra pulmonary TB, the symptoms that appear will depend on what organs are affected.

When should I see a doctor?

Symptoms that you need to watch out for and need special attention are:

• Weight loss drastically
• Excessive sweating at night
• Cough continuously for more than 2 weeks

If you experience symptoms as mentioned, you should immediately see a doctor so that you get the most appropriate treatment according to your health condition.

If you interact with people who have TB, try to get checked out for a skin test (Mantoux) or a special tuberculosis blood test.

In addition, if you have risk factors that have the potential to cause pulmonary TB, such as suffering from HIV / AIDS or living in an area with lots of tuberculosis sufferers, you should immediately get TB screened to detect a bacterial infection. Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the body.

Cause

What causes tuberculosis (TB) and how is it transmitted?

The cause of tuberculosis is a bacterial infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lungs. Tuberculosis transmission occurs when a person inhales air contaminated with tuberculosis bacteria. Bacteria are secreted by TB sufferers when coughing and sneezing in the form droplet aka slime splash.

It is important to know that people are infected with bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis may not directly transmit the bacteria to other people. Only people with active pulmonary TB disease can spread the bacteria to other people.

In order to understand how the bacteria that cause tuberculosis infect the body and cause some of the symptoms of TB, you need to understand the stages of the infection.

Reported from the book Tuberculosis , when it enters the body, bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis will go through three stages of TB infection, namely:

1. Primary infection

Primary infection occurs when breathing air that contains tuberculosis-causing bacteria. The bacteria enter through the mouth and nose to reach the lungs, then begin to multiply.

2. Latent infection

The immune system will fight back when the bacteria start to multiply. A strong immune system response can destroy the bacteria or prevent the infection from developing. When the body's immune system is able to withstand the proliferation of bacteria, M. tuberculosis will enter into a dormant state, which is a condition in which bacteria sleep or are not actively infecting.

At this stage, the infected person will not feel sick or show no symptoms. This condition is also known as latent TB. Latent TB sufferers cannot transmit TB disease.

3. Active infection

Conversely, if the immune system's response is weak against tuberculosis bacterial infection, the bacteria will be more free to multiply and attack healthy cells in the lungs. If the bacteria was previously in a dormant state, a weak immune system response causes the bacteria to wake up from sleep and return to active infection.

The condition of active TB bacterial infection is the onset of active pulmonary TB disease, which is when TB infection shows its initial symptoms.

Risk factors

What are the risk factors that can cause pulmonary TB?

TB is a disease that can happen to everyone, regardless of age and race group of sufferers. However, there are several factors that can increase a person's risk of suffering from TB disease.

It is important for you to know that having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will immediately get TB disease. Risk factors are simply conditions that increase your chances of developing certain diseases or health conditions.

The following are risk factors for the emergence of tuberculosis:

• People with HIV, diabetes mellitus (diabetes), malnutrition, or other diseases that make the immune system weak.
• People who come into contact with patients with TB disease.
• People caring for patients with tuberculosis, such as doctors or nurses.
• People who live or work in the same place with TB patients, for example in a refugee camp or clinic.
• People living in environments with poor hygiene and ventilation systems.
• People who consume alcohol excessively.
• People who use illegal drugs.
• People who smoke actively.
• People traveling to places where tuberculosis is a common disease or a plague.
• People undergoing cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy.
• People who take medicines used to treat autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis , Crohn's disease, and psoriasis.

Complications

What are the possible complications due to tuberculosis (TB)?

Without proper treatment, TB can be fatal. The pulmonary tuberculosis bacteria not only infects your lungs, it can also spread to other parts of the body via blood vessels and lymphatic channels.

The following are health problems or complications that may arise due to untreated tuberculosis:

• Back pain
• Damage to joints
• Swelling of the lining of the brain (meningitis)
• Liver and kidney problems
• Heart defects (cardiac tamponade)

Diagnosis

How do doctors diagnose tuberculosis?

To detect the presence of this disease, the doctor first performs a physical examination with identification of symptoms.

The doctor will also ask about your medical history, including the conditions in which you live and work, as well as who you have contact with. From this information your doctor will know whether you have risk factors for TB or not.

Next, the doctor will ask you to undergo a number of TB tests such as doing a tuberculin skin test (mantoux test).

In the tuberculin test, a small amount of protein containing TB bacteria is injected into the skin under the arm. The part of the skin that was injected will then be examined after 48-72 hours.

If the result is positive, it usually means that the person has been infected with TB. However, the results of the tuberculin test cannot determine the condition of latent TB or active pulmonary TB.

Therefore, the diagnosis will be confirmed by examining sputum samples and blood tests to check for the presence of bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A chest x-ray is also usually done to see if there are signs of infection in the lungs.

Treatment

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

How to treat tuberculosis?

TB disease can be cured by following the right treatment and according to the rules. Usually, sufferers are required to take TB drugs for 6-12 months.

Appropriate TB treatment is carried out through a combination of several types of antituberculosis, namely antibiotic drugs specifically used to stop TB bacterial infection. Treatment consists of two stages, namely the intensive and advanced stages.

The following are drugs that are commonly used to treat tuberculosis, also known as first-line tuberculosis drugs:

• Isoniazid
• Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
• Ethambutol (Myambutol)
• Pyrazinamide
• Streptomycin

Risk of anti-tuberculosis resistance

Usually the patient will feel better after a few weeks of intensive treatment. However, this condition does not mean that the bacteria that cause tuberculosis have completely disappeared from the body. Therefore, sufferers still need to complete the follow-up treatment stage even though the symptoms of TB have disappeared.

If the treatment is not completed completely or stops in the middle, the tuberculosis bacteria can return to active infection and can even spread to other parts of the body.

Incomplete use of antituberculosis can also make bacteria resistant to antibiotics or experience the antibiotic resistance effects of tuberculosis. This condition, which is also called MDR TB, will complicate the treatment of tuberculosis because less and less anti-tuberculosis can destroy the TB bacteria.

Second-line drug for drug-resistant tuberculosis

People who are resistant to second-line antituberculosis drugs will undergo second-line TB treatment, with the types of antibiotics used are:

• Pyrazinamide
• Amikacin can be replaced with kanamycin
• Ethionamide or prothionamide
• Cycloserine or PAS
• Capreomycin
• Para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS)
• Ciprofloxacin
• Ofloxacin
• Levofloxacin

Tuberculosis treatment side effects

Some of the side effects of antituberculosis may be mild and resolve on their own. However, it is not uncommon for TB sufferers to experience very disturbing side effects. Moreover, TB treatment can make sufferers lose appetite so that weight loss drastically.

Antibiotic drugs for tuberculosis that are given by doctors can have side effects such as:

• Red urine (not blood)
• Hearing disorders
• Visual disturbances
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain in the gut
• Swollen lymph glands
• The skin and the membranes of the eyes turn yellow
• Fever with chills
• Anemia or decreased platelet levels
• Seizures

If other forms of side effects occur, do not stop treatment immediately without medical advice. You need to consult a doctor immediately so that the doctor can adjust the type of antituberculosis drug used.

Prevention

Are there vaccinations to prevent tuberculosis (TB)?

Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a vaccine that can prevent TB disease. Vaccines are usually given to infants and children in a series of immunization programs.

The success rate of the BCG vaccine in fighting tuberculosis bacterial infection is quite high. The dose of vaccine given is one time.

Apart from babies and children, BCG vaccination needs to be done for people who have risk factors, especially groups of people who are constantly exposed to the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, such as:

• Health workers who work in TB patient care centers.
• Medical personnel who work in a laboratory and handle blood or urine samples.
• People who work in prisons, shelters or homes
• People traveling to outbreak areas.
• People who often interact with TB sufferers.

It is important for you to know that the BCG vaccine should not be given to people with health conditions or diseases that weaken their immune systems. This is because a body with a poor immune system actually causes the bacteria contained in the BCG vaccine to cause serious infections.

Patients with latent TB are a group of people who are at high risk of developing active pulmonary TB. Unfortunately, people with latent TB can no longer take vaccinations as a preventive measure.

Those of you who have latent TB need to take medication to protect yourself from developing TB disease. There are several treatment options for latent TB, your doctor will decide on a treatment that suits your health condition.

Home remedies

What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can help treat TB?

The following lifestyle and remedies can help you deal with tuberculosis:

• Take TB medicine according to the rules and schedule determined by the doctor.
• Do not stop taking medication without medical advice.
• Ask your doctor about the side effects of treatment and what to do if they appear.
• Do repeat TB checks in a timely manner.
• Follow the doctor's instructions regarding personal and environmental hygiene.
• Meeting the needs of nutrition and body fluids daily by eating healthy foods to increase the work of the immune system in fighting bacterial infections that cause tuberculosis.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to consult your doctor for the best solution to overcome your disease.