What is TB? What are the symptoms? How can you catch TB? Can anyone get TB?
This disease used to be common in England. In the 1940s, over 50,000 cases of tuberculosis were notified each year. These days it is much less common. Between 5 and 6 thousand people develop TB in England and Wales each year.
What are the symptoms of tuberculosis? TB disease develops slowly in the body, and it usually takes several months for symptoms to appear.
Any of the following symptoms may suggest TB:
fever and night sweats cough losing weight blood in your sputum (phlegm or spit) at any time If you are concerned that you might have TB because you develop any of these symptoms, visit your family doctor for advice.
How do you catch TB? The TB germ is usually spread in the air. You catch it from another person who has TB of the lungs. The germ gets into the air when that person coughs, sneezes or spits.
But only some people with TB in the lungs are infectious to other people. Such cases are called 'sputum smear positive' (or "open"). Even then, you need close and prolonged contact with them to be at risk of being infected. Sputum smear positive cases stop being infectious after a couple of weeks of treatment.
Mycobacterium bovis from contaminated milk was once common in the UK prior to pasteurisation of milk (older people may remember this as a route of transmission). Pasteurisation of milk removes this rise from milk.
Can anyone get TB? Anyone can get TB. But it is difficult to catch. You are most at risk if someone living in the same house as you catches the disease, or a close friend has the disease
The following people have a greater chance of becoming ill with tuberculosis if exposed to it: Those in very close contact with infectious people Children Elderly people Diabetics People on steroids People on other drugs affecting the body's defence system People who are HIV-positive People in overcrowded poor housing People who are dependent on drugs or alcohol People with chronic poor health Is tuberculosis curable? Yes. For many years now, we have had good treatment for TB. You have to take the treatment (usually tablets) for around six months. But it is worth it. Without treatment, many people used to die of this disease. Even today, a few people die because they have not taken their treatment regularly.
What should I do if I think I might have TB? Visit your family doctor for advice. He or she may then refer you to a chest clinic for some simple tests.
If you don't have a family doctor , visit your local casualty (A&E) department. They will refer you to a specialist in tuberculosis if they think you may have TB. But you should register with a family doctor as soon as possible. What if I have been in contact with someone with TB? Discuss this with your family doctor . Only close contacts are at risk of catching TB. You may be asked to make an appointment with your local chest clinic. Sometimes a tuberculosis nurse or chest diseases health visitor will contact you first (they will have a list of close contacts). The nurse will arrange a skin test and/or chest x-ray. This does not mean that you inevitably have tuberculosis, but it is a chance to check for any symptoms, so it is very important that you do attend, if asked. How can TB be prevented? Tuberculosis can be prevented in several ways: Vaccination. In this country, all children are offered TB vaccination (the 'BCG' vaccine). This is usually given to schoolchildren, at around 12 or 13 years of age. It is also given to younger children and babies if there has been TB in their family, or if there is a lot of TB in the community. BCG vaccination does not give 100% protection. But it does protect against the more serious forms of the disease.
Ensuring that all close contacts of people with TB are seen promptly in the chest clinic. If we detect infection with TB early, we can start treatment to prevent TB disease from developing. Some people in high risk groups for acquiring TB after close contact may be offered a course of preventive therapy (chemoprophylaxis) if they have no clinical or radiological evidence of active TB. Close contacts of a non-infectious case may not be seen at all.
Treating all people with TB disease. People with infectious TB disease in their lungs can pass the germ to other people until they have started treatment. After two weeks of treatment, they are no longer infectious to other people. How important is treatment? Treatment is vital. If you have TB disease, or if you have been infected with the germ but have not yet become unwell, you must take the treatment as directed. It is very important to complete the full course of treatment, as it will stop you being infectious, and it will remove the risk of you developing drug-resistant TB. We must not forget that TB used to kill many people before we had modern treatments.
What is the difference between tuberculosis disease and tuberculosis infection?
In most people who breath in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. The bacteria become inactive, but they remain alive in the body and can become active later. This is called TB infection. People with TB infection Have no symptoms Don't feel sick Can't spread TB to others Usually have a positive skin test reaction Can develop TB disease later in life Many people who have TB infection may never develop TB disease. In these people, the TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime without causing disease. But in other people who have weak immune systems, the bacteria become active and cause TB disease. Health Protection Agency
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Ce este TBC? Care sunt simptomele? Cum poti sa prind TBC? Poate cineva te TBC? - What is TB? What are the symptoms? How can you catch TB? Can anyone get TB? - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate