There are many lung diseases out in the world, but few are as deadly to the body as Pulmonary Tuberculosis. This disease on average kills 3 million people every year, and has infected almost a third of the human population. In 2010, it infected almost 9 million people, and was a factor to over 15 million deaths in the U.S alone. If caught soon enough, then the symptoms could be killed off with some medicines. If not, then you will have to take them for a longer period of time, around six months to be exact. The disease is easily preventable and treatment isn’t too rough on your body either.
While TB is much more prominent in third world countries, it has still found its way to the US. Since the virus can stay alive in a person for many years, many people do not know they have it. Many people think TB is not a very serious problem, since they can’t infect anyone, people don’t care all that much. What people don’t know is that TB is much easier and much quicker to deal with if the person’s TB is inactive. Once the TB virus becomes active then that’s when the health problems start. Coughing chills, and night sweats are all symptoms.
TB is much more dangerous when you have HIV /AIDS. When these two diseases combine, you’re in big trouble because some of the TB medicine might counter act the AIDS medicines, or vice versa. Also, TB can affect other parts of your body instead of your lungs. areas such as the arms and legs. This happens when the TB virus gets into your blood stream and enters other parts of your body.
Even though origins of this deadly virus are unknown, it can be traced back as far as 2400 BCE in Egypt. These traces were found in small pieces of spinal column taken from mummies. This disease was not given a proper name until the Greeks found it in 420 BCE when it was called phthisis. The first record of sickness that matches the description of TB was not made until the 17th century. The disease was called Sylvius. Over the years, the infection spread all over the world. Eventually it became to be known as Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
To make sure that you have TB, you could do one of two things. You could A.) Get a skin test. This is where they take cells from a dead TB cell and inject it into your body. If certain parts of your body swell to a certain size then you have TB. Or you could B.) Get a sample of sputum, a type of phlegm produced by TB, taken from your lungs or other infected areas, then take x-rays of your chest. Both of these tests take awhile to produce results, and can’t tell you if the disease is active or dormant. So, doctors are developing newer and faster methods for spotting TB.
The disease can be contracted when you inhale a cough or sneeze from a TB infected person. You can also catch this disease by sharing food, or kissing an infected person. Some common symptoms are a bad cough lasting more than three weeks, coughing up blood or phlegm, loss of appetite and weight, chills and sweating through the night. Even though catching the disease is fairly easy, preventing the disease is much, much easier. Now it’s not just protecting you, it’s helping prevent other people from catching TB.
As stated before, treatment or TB isn’t too hard on your body. The medicines you have to take aren’t as strong as the ones for other diseases. To treat TB, the doctors must find out whether or not your TB is active. If the disease is active, they will put you on medication for 6 to 9 months (an initial 2 months followed by a follow up of 4 to 7 months). There are 10 drug proven by the FDA that help fight off the TB virus. Some of the medicines are isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), ethambutol (EMB), pyrazinamide (PZA).
If the disease is inactive, then you will be put on a different medication, for different amount of time. The amount of time it takes to rid your body of TB varies from person to person. The medication you take will also vary, you might take INH, RIF, or a different drug called rifapentine (RPT).Some of these medicines, such as isoniazid, have been known to cause liver damage to some people. This is more prominent in women, and even more in Black and Hispanic women.
TB is one of the worst things that can happen to your lungs. But, with proper medication, prevention, and plenty of medical attention, it could be gone in as little as 6 months. If you’re showing signs of TB, then you might want to go see a doctor to get tested. If you have TB and it is latent, don’t worry, you won’t infect someone. Just be sure you take your medicine so that the infection doesn’t become too infected to treat.
Remember what you’ve learned. To prevent others or yourself
from catching the disease, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough,
especially if you have TB. To find out if you have TB then you’ll want to get
tested for TB. Remember, the test is quick and mostly painless. The most pain
people feel is either the swelling or the initial shot of the dead TB virus.
Lastly, taking your meds is your best bet when trying to survive TB, especially
if the disease is active.
Article Written By
Mekhi Green-Galloway
EQ Youth Contributor
1 comments:
Great article Mekhi!
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