ടി ബി വരാനുള്ള സാധ്യത ശരീരം മുന്‍കൂട്ടി കാണിച്ചുതരുന്ന ലക്ഷണങ്ങള്‍ /
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs, though it can affect any organ in the body. It can develop when bacteria spread through droplets in the air. TB can be fatal, but in many cases, it is preventable and treatable.
In the past, TB, or “consumption,” was a major cause of death worldwide. Following improvements in living conditions and the development of antibiotics, the prevalence of TB fell dramatically in industrialized countries.
However, numbers started to rise again in the 1980s. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as an “epidemic”. It reports that it is 13th leading cause of death globally and “the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19”.
The WHO estimates that in 2020, nearly 10 million people worldwide developed TB and 1.5 million people died from the disease, including 214,000 people who also had HIV.
A majority of the people affected were in Asia. However, TB remains a matter of concern in many other areas, including the United States. The same year, doctors reported 7,174 cases of TB in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Currently, antibiotic resistance is causing renewed concerns about TB among experts. Some strains of the disease are not responding to the most effective treatment options. In this case, TB is difficult to treat. Keep reading to learn more.
What is tuberculosis?
Packing ampoules of the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Gu rin) vaccine for tuberculosis developed by the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France in 1931. FPG/Getty Images
A person may develop TB after inhaling Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) bacteria, primarily from person to person.
When TB affects the lungs, the disease is the most contagious, but a person will usually only become sick after close contact with someone who has this type of TB.
TB infection (latent TB)
An individual can have TB bacteria in their body and never develop symptoms. In most people, the immune system can contain the bacteria so that they do not replicate and cause disease. In this case, a person will have TB infection but not active disease.
Doctors refer to this as latent TB. An individual may never experience symptoms and be unaware that they have the infection. There is also no risk of passing on a latent infection to someone else. However, a person with latent TB still requires treatment.
The CDC estimates that as many as 13 million people in the U.S. have latent TB.
TB disease (active TB)
The body may be unable to contain TB bacteria. This is more common when the immune system is weakened due to illness or the use of certain medications.
When this happens, the bacteria can replicate and cause symptoms, resulting in active TB. People with active TB can spread the infection.
Without medical intervention, TB becomes active in 5-10% of people with the infection. According to the CDC, progression occurs within 2-5 years in about 50% of these people.
The risk of developing active TB is higher in:
anyone with a weakened immune system
anyone who first developed the infection in the past 2-5 years
older adults and young children
people who inject recreational drugs
people who have not previously received appropriate treatment for TB
Learn more about pulmonary TB, which primarily affects the lungs, here.
Symptoms
Latent TB: A person with latent TB will have no symptoms, and no damage will show on a chest X-ray. However, a blood test or skin prick test will indicate that they have TB infection.
Active TB: An individual with TB disease may experience a cough that produces phlegm, fatigue, a fever, chills, and a loss of appetite and weight. Symptoms typically worsen over time, but they can also spontaneously go away and return.
Early warning signs
A person should see a doctor if they experience:
a persistent cough, lasting at least 3 weeks
phlegm, which may have blood in it, when they cough
a loss of appetite and weight
a general feeling of fatigue and being unwell
swelling in the neck
a fever
night sweats
chest pain
Beyond the lungs
TB usually affects the lungs, though symptoms can develop in other parts of the body. This is more common in people with weakened immune systems.
TB can cause:
persistently swollen lymph nodes, or “swollen glands”
abdominal pain
joint or bone pain
confusion
a persistent headache
seizures