Tuberculosis
(TB)
Identification and definition
TB germs can live in your body and not have any symptoms. This is referred to as latent TB infection, which means you have inactive TB germs in your body. The inactive germs cannot be passed on to anyone else. However, if these germs become active in your body and multiply, they will cause TB disease.
Signs and symptoms of Tuberculosis
People with TB disease often feel
- Weak or sick
- Lose weight
- Have fever
- Night sweats
If their TB disease is in the lungs, they may also cough and have chest pain, and they might cough up blood.
Disease history
How is TB transmitted?
Complications
Other parts of the body include:
- Bones- Spinal pain and joint destruction may result from TB that infects the bones.
- Brain- It can cause meningitis, which is sometimes fatal due to the swelling of the membranes that covers the brain and spinal cord.
- Liver or kidneys- The liver and kidneys filter waste from the bloodstream. If TB affects the liver and kidneys those functions can become impaired.
- Heart- TB can infect the tissues surrounding the heart. It can cause inflammation and fluid collections that may interfere with the heat's ability to pump effectively.
Other complications include:
- Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Lung failure
- Relapse of the disease
Recommended control for TB
Children- BCG vaccination should only be considered for children who have a negative tuberculin skin test and who are continually exposed, and cannot be separated from, adults who are untreated of ineffectively treated.
Health Care Workers- BCG vaccination of health care workers should be considered on an individual basis in settings in which there is a high percentage of TB patients, there is ongoing transmission, or where TB infection- control precautions have not been successful.
Health care workers considered for BCG vaccination should be counseled regarding the risks and benefits associated with both BCG vaccination and treatment of Latent TB Infection.
Contraindications include
Immunosuppression. BCG vaccination should not be given to persons who are immunosuppressed such as a persons who is infected with HIV or who are likely to become immunocompromised (candidates for organ transplant).
Pregnancy. BCG vaccination should not be given during pregnancy. Although no harmful effects of BCG vaccination on the fetus have been observed, further studies are needed to prove its safety.
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/prevention/bcg.htm