What is tuberculosis?
Listen from your TB Doctor.
It is a disease caused by bacteria named mycobacterium tuberculosis.
It primarily affects the lung, but it can affect any other organ of the body. Common symptoms are fever, weight, loss, cough, and chest pain
Symptoms, according to the specific organ involved may also be present.
It commonly affects people with weak immune system, like children, older people or people on immunosuppressant drugs or low immunity due to any other reason like chemotherapy drugs or HIV.
Diagnosis is made by radiological and microbiological test. Radiological test include x-ray or CT scan or MRI depending upon the organ involved.
Microbiological test include analysis of the fluid from the organ that is involved. Like example, if the Lung is involved then sputum analysis or analysis of the fluid taken from the lung after doing a bronchoscopy called lavage can be done.
Many recent genetic test can also be done on these samples to see if there is resistance to drugs, present or not.
Is TB curable?
If the organism is sensitive to 1st line drugs, the usual treatment remains a four drug regimen to be taken for six months. In some cases, the treatment may need to get extended up to a year. Many nether are available for second line and third line drug resistance compliance with therapy is absolutely essential for treatment and cure. Otherwise, it leads to multi drug resistance.
Regular follow up with your treating Pulmonologist is important to look for cure or if resistance or relapse is taking place TB is a serious illness and one of the most common causes of infectious diseases leading to death.
Hence, early diagnosis, early referral to your treating doctor and correct treatment is required for therapy.