With the recent case of tuberculosis in a Rockville, Maryland high school, it's time to learn the facts about TB. Below is information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria that usually attacks the lungs; that’s why in movies, TB victims are always coughing. However, the bacteria can attack any part of the body. The bacteria spreads through the air from person to person, especially when someone coughs, sneezes, speaks -- and even sings. Make sure to always cough into your elbow or sneeze into a tissue.
However, TB is not spread through kissing or sharing drinks.
Symptoms of TB may include bad coughs for three weeks or longer, chest pain, coughing up blood, weakness or fatigue, weight loss, lack of appetite, chills, fever and sweating at night.
If you are exposed to TB bacteria, you may get latent TB or the TB disease. Latent TB is when the TB bacteria lives in your body but does not make you sick or contagious to others. If you have latent TB, you may get the disease later or never, depending on whether your immune system can continue to fight the TB bacteria. Your doctor may want you to undergo treatment for the disease as a preventative measure anyway.
If your immune system can no longer fight the bacteria -- or if you get sick right away after contact -- you have TB disease.
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Getting Tested and the Results
You should be tested for TB if you have spent time with someone who is infected, have a medical issue that weakens the immune system (such as HIV or diabetes), have the symptoms listed above or have spent time in a country where TB is common.
There are two TB tests: the tuberculin skin test and TB blood test. If you are TB-positive, that means only that you are infected with the TB bacteria. You may have latent TB or the TB disease.
The tuberculin skin test is a small injection of the TB bacteria into your arm; it takes 48 to 72 hours for the results to show. When you return to your doctor, they will look for a raised, hard area or swelling around the injection site. The doctor will also measure its size. Redness is not a factor. Whether you are positive or negative depends on the size of the inflammation and the person’s risk of being infected.
The TB blood test examines how the immune system reacts to the bacteria that cause TB. After taking a blood sample, the lab will test your blood with samples of the TB bacteria. If your blood reacts, you have a positive reading. The TB blood test is preferred.
If you test positive for the TB bacteria, other tests will be conducted to label the infection as either latent TB or TB disease.
If you received the TB vaccine as a child, the TB blood test probably won't give you a false positive, but the tuberculin skin test might.
If not treated properly, TB can be fatal, so make sure to read all instructions and take the medication as prescribed for as long as it is prescribed. It is much harder to fight drug-resistant TB, so do not expose the bacteria to medication without completing the entire process. Typical TB treatment requires taking several drugs for six to nine months. Drugs can be taken either twice weekly or daily.
If you are diagnosed with Latent TB, treatment is much easier.
How TB Affects Certain Populations
In 2012, 84% of TB cases reported in the US were among racial and ethnic minorities, reports the CDC. The homeless and people in prisons and jails are also disproportionately affected.
People who immigrated to the United States or spend most of their time traveling also run a high risk of exposure. Ten states and Washington, D.C. were the site of more than 60% of all reported TB cases in 2012, the CDC reported.
If you are pregnant, undiagnosed TB can hurt your baby. Also, children under 15 years old have a higher risk of developing life-threatening forms of TB, compared to adults.
Being informed on the TB disease and being able to promptly detect the symptoms is the best way to avoid an outbreak. If you know someone who is infected, make sure not to spend extended amounts of time with that person in small, confined spaces. If you travel abroad, make sure to get tested before you leave and avoid areas which are known to have a high population with the bacteria.
The earlier you get tested and detect a problem, the less chance there is for the disease to spread.
