Tuberculosis Symptoms

Tuberculosis (TB) is among the top 10 infectious diseases in the world, ranking at the top three spot along with malaria and HIV/AIDS. Tuberculosis causes nearly 2 million deaths every year, and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly 1 billion people will be infected between 2000 and 2020 if more effective preventive procedures are not adopted.

What is Tuberculosis (TB)?
TB is a systemic bacterial infection most often found in the lungs. It is mainly caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium africanum, Mycobacterium canetti, and Mycobacterium microti can also cause tuberculosis, but these species do not usually affect healthy adults. Over one-third of the world's population has been exposed to the TB bacterium, and new infections occur at a rate of one per second. It doesn’t necessarily happen that a person infected develops the full-blown disease, so asymptomatic, latent TB infection is most common. However, one in ten latent infections will progress to active TB disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than half of its victims.

TB is generally classified into pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. In pulmonary TB, the bacterial infection is found in the lungs. This is the most reported case of TB infection. This bacterial infection is highly contagious as it is spread through the air droplets. We can get infected just by breathing in air contaminated with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. The primary stage of pulmonary TB is usually asymptomatic. In some cases, the disease becomes active in a matter of weeks after the primary infection. For some, it may lie dormant for a number of years and then re-appear. Reported symptoms include: minor cough and mild fever, fatigue, unintentional weight loss, coughing up blood, night sweating, phlegm-producing cough, wheezing, chest pain, and breathing difficulty. The risk of contracting tuberculosis increases if you are in frequent contact with an infected person, or have poor living conditions.

Extra-pulmonary TB, as the name implies, affects other organs aside from the lungs. This can occur in isolation or may come along as a complication from pulmonary TB. Extrapulmonary TB may also affect the following body parts:

· Lymph nodes
· Pleura (the membrane that protects the lungs)
· Bones
· Kidneys
· Male & female genital tract
· Stomach
· Peritoneum (the membrane lining part of the abdominal cavity)
· Skin
· Brain

Although the bacterial infection is generically transmitted via droplets from the cough of a person with pulmonary TB, it may spread to any organ or body system through our blood. And like pulmonary TB, symptoms rarely appear at the early onset of this condition.

Treatment
TB treatment uses antibiotics to kills the bacteria. But unlike the generic use of antibiotics, it takes a longer period of usage to completely eliminate the mycobacteria from the body. However, people may develop drug resistant tuberculosis bacteria when given inadequate treatment. For people with latent infections, medications are still used, but this time it is to prevent the disease from further progressing.

Prevention is ten times better than having the cure. Protect your children early by having them vaccinated against tuberculosis. If you have friends, relatives or family members that are suspected to have TB, consult a doctor as early as possible to have it treated. It will not only eliminate the chances of the disease progressing, it will also lower risks of getting yourself infected by this dreaded disease.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an illness related to the respiratory system. It is a disease caused by a germ mainly found in your lungs. It is a contagious disease which means you have to take extra precaution for the safety of other people. By the continuous sneezing, talking and coughing these air-borne germs can spread to other people. It can turn into a dangerous disease if proper care is not taken. Due to lack of symptoms, doctors have distinguished it into TB infection and Active TB. TB infection provides no symptoms and is not contagious. On the other hand Active TB can make you sick and is very contagious. Even though we may think TB is no longer a threat it has still taken many lives. Millions have died even though we have proper medicines to prevent it. The need for proper care becomes very crucial for the survival of the patient. The symptoms remain dormant which makes the situation even worse.

As this is an air-borne disease, anyone can be infected. Once infected you may be in one of the two stages TB infection or Active TB (explained earlier). You can determine if you have TB when you have been tested for TB skin test (PDD test) and an X-ray of your chest. In the skin test the doctor injects you with a liquid, if it results in a bump; it is due to the TB infection. If the X-ray shows spots or shadow you may be suffering from this condition. If your immune system is very weak due to aging, HIV, malnutrition and other reason, this bacteria may just wake up to become active TB. In the earlier stages of TB, the immune system gives a good fight to kill the infection. The treatment for this infection can go on for years. TB can attack any part of your body including your joints, bones, urinary tract, central nervous system, muscles, bone marrow and lymphatic system. Therefore the signs and symptoms may vary depending which organ has been infected. There are some common signs and symptoms of TB which can help you deal with this problem. The early symptoms of active TB are loss of appetite, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Many a times these symptoms just do not make an impact causing chronic symptoms like coughing, chest pain and bloody sputum.

- Home Remedies for Tuberculosis

• Garlic is a great remedy to prevent tuberculosis. You can have raw garlic three times a day or have garlic capsule.

• Tuberculosis patients lack silica in their bone which is one of the most important weapons to fight diseases. To increase that resistance level you must have 1 tbsp of horsetail juice three times, daily.

• Nettle juice taken raw is rich in calcium. You can use it in soups and salads to add taste and health in your food. Have nettle juice with carrot to make it more appetizing. Have at least one tablespoon daily to find the right changes in your body.

• An herbal tea made by using one part each of mullein, bugleweed, knotgrass and sage, including three parts each of chamomile and horsetail which work immensely against the coughing problem. For daily usage use 3 cups of boiling water over one teaspoon of this herb concoction and have 3-4 cups daily.

• Consume natural antibiotics by having horseradish, watercress and nasturtium juice. Have one tablespoon of these juices daily or have them in your salad.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.