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| What is tuberculosis? |
Tuberculosis, also called TB, is an infection caused by a bacteria (a germ). Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but it can spread to the kidneys, bones, spine, brain and other parts of the body
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| Turbulences |
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| Know About! |
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How does my doctor check for tuberculosis? |
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The most commonly used methods to check for tuberculosis are the PPD skin test, chest x-ray and physical examination to find whether one has the active disease and if it is contagious.
If I have a positive PPD test, do I have tuberculosis? Not necessarily. A person can be infected with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, but not actually have tuberculosis disease. Many people are infected with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, but only a few of these people (about 10%) go on to develop the disease. People who do have the disease are said to have ”active” tuberculosis. Healthy people who get infected with the tuberculosis bacteria are able to fight off the infection and do not get the tuberculosis disease, as the bacteria is dormant (inactive) in their lungs. If the body is not able to fight off the infection and the bacteria continues to grow, active tuberculosis develops. |
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Would I know if I developed active tuberculosis? |
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You might not know that you have active tuberculosis. Tuberculosis bacteria can grow in your body without making you feel sick. However, most people with active tuberculosis don’t feel well. People with tuberculosis often feel tired and have a cough that won’t go away. They may also lose weight, have a fever or break out in a sweat during the night (called ”night sweats”). They may also have trouble breathing. |
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How will my doctor treat the tuberculosis infection? |
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To be sure that you remain healthy, your doctor may recommend that you take medicine for 6 months to kill the tuberculosis infection. If you don’t take the medicine, the bacteria will remain, and you will always be in danger of getting active tuberculosis. The medicine used to treat tuberculosis infection is isoniazid, which is also called INH. It is very important that you take the medicine every day. Keep the medicine in a place where you will always see it. Take it at the same time every day.
Staying healthy through a healthy diet, exercise and sleep is important in building resistance to the tuberculosis bacteria. |
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