It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.
5.Weight loss
6.No appetite
7.Chills
8.Fever
9.Sweating at night
The disease was called "consumption" in the past because of the way it would consume infected people from within.
When a person becomes infected with TB, the bacteria in the lungs
multiply causing pneumonia; the patient experiences chest pain and has a
persistent cough which often brings up blood.
In addition, lymph nodes near the heart and lungs become enlarged. As
the bacteria try to spread to other parts of the body they are
interrupted by the body's immune system.
The immune system forms scar tissue or fibrosis around the bacterium,
which helps fight the infection and prevents it from spreading within
the body and to other people.
If
the bacteria manage to break through the scar tissue the disease
returns to an active state; pnuemonia develops and there is damage to
kidneys, bones, and the meninges that line the spinal cord and brain.
TB is generally classified as:
Latent TB - the bacteria are inactive but present in the body. The patient has no symptoms and is not contagious.
Active TB - the bacteria are active and make the patient ill. Active TB is contagious.
Latent TB - the bacteria are inactive but present in the body. The patient has no symptoms and is not contagious.
Active TB - the bacteria are active and make the patient ill. Active TB is contagious.
TB is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia. Each year the disease kills almost 2 million people. The disease is also prevalent among people with HIV/AIDS.
How TB Spreads
TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.
TB is NOT spread by
1.shaking someone’s hand
2.sharing food or drink
3.touching bed linens or toilet seats
4.sharing toothbrushes
5.kissing
Latent TB Infection and TB Disease
Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection and TB disease.
Latent TB Infection
TB bacteria can live in the body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection. In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. However, if TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will go from having latent TB infection to being sick with TB disease.
TB Disease
TB bacteria become active if the immune system can't stop them from growing. When TB bacteria are active (multiplying in your body), this is called TB disease. People with TB disease are sick. They may also be able to spread the bacteria to people they spend time with every day.
Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease. Some people develop TB disease soon after becoming infected (within weeks) before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick years later when their immune system becomes weak for another reason.
For people whose immune systems are weak, especially those with HIV infection, the risk of developing TB disease is much higher than for people with normal immune systems.
TB DISEASE SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of TB disease depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing. TB disease symptoms may include:1.A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
2.Pain in the chest
3.Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs4.Weakness or fatigu
5.Weight loss
6.No appetite
7.Chills
8.Fever
9.Sweating at night
BACK PAIN RELATED SYMPTOMS :
