Tuberculosis Essay, Research Paper

Tuberculosis

TB is a disease that can cause a serious illness and can damage a person’s

organs. Every year more than 25,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with TB

disease. That’s only a fraction of the amount of people who carry the

Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a rod-shaped

bacterium. TB is spread through the air by carriers of the germ. People who

breathe the same air can become infected with the TB germ. People who do work

around or with people with the TB disease should take medicine. TB infection

means that the person has the TB germs but they are in an inactive state. When

TB germs enter the body, the immune system builds a wall around them. While TB

germs are inactive, they cannot cause any damage. These germs can stay alive

for many years in these walls and eventually break out. At this time TB is

active then it becomes TB disease. It can now affect the system’s organs. A

person can have TB disease shortly after being infected with TB germs if the

person’s immune system is weak.

TB can attack any part of the system. The lungs are the most common area of

attack. People with the TB disease have one or more of the following symptoms:

a cough that hangs on, fevers, weight loss, night sweats, constant fatigue, and

loss of appetite. A person with the TB disease in the late stages will cough up

blood streaked sputum. People who have Active TB disease usually only have mild

symptoms. There are three tests to diagnose TB disease. One is the Tuberculin

Mantoux PPD skin test; two is a Chest X-ray which is given after the Skin test

is positive; three Sputum Test reveals if TB germs are in thick liquid a person

coughs up. The Tuberculin Mantoux PPD skin test is given by placing a substance

called PPD Tuberculin under the top layer of the skin with a very small needle

and syringe. The doctor will inject the needle into the skin which will only

feel like a slight pen prick. A few days later the skin test reaction will be

read by a trained health worker. If the skin around the prick israised and it

is bigger or the same size as a pencil eraser then the person is likely to have

been infected with TB germs. This does not mean he or she has TB disease. You

should always retest yourself even if the first test was negative for a few

reasons. If your immune system has been weakened, then your immune system may

not react to the skin test. The test also might have been taken too early after

infection because the blood has not been infected.

Inactive and Active TB can be treated by various ways. If you work or are

around people with Active TB you should take medicine. Just because you are

infected with TB germs doesn’t mean you have TB disease. Having inactive TB

will not hurt you now but you could develop TB disease later in life with out

taking appropriate medicine. By taking medicine now you can wipe out the germs

before they become active. People who have other illnesses that weaken their

immune system should especially take medicine to prevent TB disease. The most

common medicine to take is called Isoniazid or INH. Almost everybody can take

INH. Some physicians will not give it to people over the age of thirty-five or

to people with health problems that might be affected by INH. You must take INH

for six months to completely wipe out TB germs. People who have other serious

infections like HIV usually need to take for a longer period of time. INH is a

very safe drug but can cause side-effects to some people. Changes you should

look out for are yellowish skin, dark urine, vomiting, loss of appetite, nausea,

changes in eyesight, unexplained fever, unexplained fatigue, and stomach cramps.

There are other medicines as well for example rifampin. There is also an

unproven vaccination called the BCG Vaccination. People that have had a BCG

that have not had a skin test usually have to take the skin test when applying

for work or school related environments.

Bibliography

Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia 96 Topic Search-Tuberculosis

Internet Stanford University – Tuberculosis

http://molepi.stanford.edu/

Tuberculosis Resources

http://www.cpmc.comlumbia.edu/

World book

1997, Volume 19, Pages 389-391

The Merck Manual

1987, Fifteenth Edition, Pages 113-126