Tuberculosis Symptom Cause Treatment

Tuberculosis 

Tuberculosis is bacterial infection caused by M. tuberculi or mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It commonly affect lungs but can also affect other body part of the body like kidney, brain and spine. It spread via sneezing and cough through air droplets. 

It is characterized by damage lung tissues caused by inflammation and immune reaction. Tuberculosis results in lung necrosis, abscess, granuloma that blocks the airway, causing severe cough chest pain and breathlessness.

Causes 

Tuberculosis is an aerobic bacteria which grows very slow. Even after enter in lungs it takes few weeks to appear very few symptoms.

Tuberculosis is caused by mycobacterium tuberculin acid fast bacilli. It is most commonly occur by transmission from infected person.

Causes of Tuberculosis 

• Immunocompromized state 

A person affecting by chronic illness like HIV, cancer are more likely get affect by tuberculosis bacteria.
Substance abuse

• Malnutrition 
• Alcoholism or IV abuse 
• Poverty
• Poor hygiene 
• Overcrowded area 

Symptoms 

People will show symptoms when they develop tuberculosis in active form. Incubation period is one to two weeks of m. tuberculi. Initial signs are fever and chills and loss of appetite. Most common sign is cough continuing for more than 2 weeks. Cough get worsen over time. In late tb patient cough up with sputum and
blood.

• Early symptoms  

There are no symptoms present in early tuberculosis. Incubation period is one to two week. Very initial sign is productive cough that does not go away. Loss of appetite and fever is also occur.

• Middle stage symptoms

Once tuberculosis develop, it result in breathing difficulty, chest pain, breathlessness and cough up sputum. It also result in fever, sweating, headache and weakness, night sweats. 

• Latent stage symptoms:-

• Productive cough 
• Coughing up blood 
• Increase sputum formation the lungs 
• Severe breathing difficulty 
• Chest pain 
• Weakness 
• Clubbing of fingers 
• Weight loss 
• Enlarged lymph node 

Pathophysiology

Bacterias enter in the host body via airborne via sneezing or coughing from infected person. Once the bacteria enter the host body they et engulf by the immune cell white blood cells. It remain there and multiply for 2 to 3 weeks. After that, granuloma is formed in which wbcs, infection and immune reaction occur. Withing granuloma the tuberculosis cell is form reaction with immune cell. Thereafter, tuberculin bacteria causes granuloma, cavitation, accumulation of fluids. It all result in chest pain, breathing difficulty and productive cough. The tuberculosis occur.

Diagnosis 

Tuberculosis is diagnosed by

• Tuberculin skin test 

This test involves injecting small unit of fluid (tubercle fluid) under the intradermal layer. If a person is infected with tb then within 48 hours there will reaction resulting in swelling, edema and redness over injected site. The person is said to be positive.

• Chest x ray 

Chest X-ray is done to check structural damage to lungs ex. tumor, swelling, edema and inflammation. 

• Sputum testing 

After tuberculin test positive next test is sputum testing. Sputum culture take weeks to get results due to slow bacterial growth. So, treatment is initiated before results to avoid complications. 

Treatment 

Treatment of tuberculosis is sustain for longer period of time. It involve first line drugs and second line drugs. 

First line drugs are given to initial tuberculosis to prevent infection. Drug are isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol. 

Second line drugs are given to serious tb where chances of resistant and tolerance is present. Second line drugs are amikacin, cycloserine, capreomycin. 

• Recurrent TB :- 

Recurrent tb is tuberculosis occur after patient completely recover from tb. It occurs when one of tb bacteria remain in in body inactive form. It later stimulate body immune system. Recurrent tuberculosis is treated with second line drugs.

• Dot therapy

Directly observed tuberculosis therapy is national initiative where the tb patient recieve medicine in front of the medical practitioner ex nurse. People don't take medicine properly leads to development of resistance to drugs. To avoid this complication, dot therapy is implemented. It also work as, patient will come to clinics and recieve his daily dose of medicines.


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