Tuberculosis: The Disease
The Disease: Tuberculosis, or consumption, is a bacterial, contagious disease that primarily affects the lungs. However, since the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it, tuberculosis can affect almost any organ in the body. [1] It is primarily an airborne disease, but the bacterium can also enter the body through the transmission of sexual fluids and through contact from mother to fetus in the womb (maternal-fetal transmission). It is usually passed from person to person through sneezing and coughing in close spaces and over an extended period of time. This method of transmission is why tuberculosis is more common in urban spaces and in areas in which a lot of people live close together. Tuberculosis can be fatal if not treated, but not everyone who contracts the bacterium will suffer the symptoms. Both latent and active forms occur. [2]
The Symptoms: Those infected with the bacterium and who develop tuberculosis exhibit chest pain, fatigue, fever, coughing, and often expel a combination of mucus and blood from their lungs. The CDC calls this sputum "phlegm from deep inside the lungs." TB also causes weight loss due to a lessened appetite. A person with active tuberculosis can also experience night sweats and the chills. [3]
The Treatment: No vaccine exists for the tuberculosis bacterium. However, those affected with the disease usually undergo treatment through a routine of numerous antibiotics (medicine that combats bacterial growth) over a period of several months. Those persons with latent tuberculosis also complete an antibiotic regimen in order to prevent the development of the active version. The CDC identifies these four drugs as the most common for actively treating TB:
The Symptoms: Those infected with the bacterium and who develop tuberculosis exhibit chest pain, fatigue, fever, coughing, and often expel a combination of mucus and blood from their lungs. The CDC calls this sputum "phlegm from deep inside the lungs." TB also causes weight loss due to a lessened appetite. A person with active tuberculosis can also experience night sweats and the chills. [3]
The Treatment: No vaccine exists for the tuberculosis bacterium. However, those affected with the disease usually undergo treatment through a routine of numerous antibiotics (medicine that combats bacterial growth) over a period of several months. Those persons with latent tuberculosis also complete an antibiotic regimen in order to prevent the development of the active version. The CDC identifies these four drugs as the most common for actively treating TB:
- isoniazid (INH)
- rifampin (RIF)
- ethambutol (EMB)
- pyrazinamide (PZA) [4]