Tuberculosis

Introduction: Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacteria that usually causes disease in the lung. Many people become symptom-free carriers of the TB bacteria. Although common and deadly in the third world, tuberculosis was almost non-existent in the developed world, but has been making a recent resurgence. Certain drug-resistant strains are emerging and people with immune suppression such as AIDS or poor health are becoming carriers.

Symptoms of Tuberculosis

• No symptoms - in early phases; also if they only have latent TB infection
• Early infection symptoms:
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Sweating

See full list of 24 symptoms of Tuberculosis

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Tuberculosis:

• Home Lung Function Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Tuberculosis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Tuberculosis

• Chest x-ray
• TB skin test - also called Mantoux test or purified protein derivative (PPD) test
• Sputum test for tuberculosis
• Lung fluid tests for tuberculosis
• Biopsy

See full list of 6 diagnostic tests for Tuberculosis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Tuberculosis?

• Misdiagnosis of Tuberculosis
• Failure to diagnose Tuberculosis
• Underlying causes of Tuberculosis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Tuberculosis

Misdiagnosis and Tuberculosis

Chronic lung diseases hard to diagnose: Some of the chronic lung diseases are difficult to diagnose. Even the well-knowns conditions such as asthma or lung cancer often fail to be...read more »

Blindness in Tuberculosis could be drug- induced: Pulmonary tuberculosis is the infection of lung caused by the organism called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Tuberculosis

Causes of Tuberculosis

• AIDS
• Immunodeficiency
• Pneumoconiosis - in coal mine workers
• Malnutrition
• Alcoholism

Read more about causes of Tuberculosis

More information about causes of Tuberculosis:

• Underlying causes of Tuberculosis
• Tuberculosis as a complication caused by other conditions
• Tuberculosis as a symptom

Treatments for Tuberculosis

• Antibiotic combination therapy - using more than one antibiotic reduces the risk of resistance.
• Isoniazid (INH)/rifampicin combination
• Pyrazinamide
• Ethambutol
• Rifampicin

See full list of 8 treatments for Tuberculosis

Videos for Tuberculosis

Patient Surveys for Tuberculosis

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Tuberculosis
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Tuberculosis

More about prognosis of Tuberculosis

Reseach about Tuberculosis

Visit our research pages for current research about Tuberculosis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Tuberculosis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Tuberculosis include:

• Use TST and QFT-RD1 Test to Monitor the Tuberculous Infection in Patients, Close Contact People and Health Care Workers - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - tuberculin for skin test
• Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in Korea - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Diagnosing Tuberculosis in HIV Infected Children in Peru - This study has been suspended (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• TBTC Study 27: Moxifloxacin Vs Ethambutol for TB Treatment - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - moxifloxacin (with isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide)
• Comparison the Level of CTGF Protein and Related Cytokine in Pleural Effusion - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

See full list of 123 Clinical Trials for Tuberculosis

Prevention of Tuberculosis

Prevention information for Tuberculosis has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Tuberculosis.

• TB vaccine
• Bacillus Calmette-Guerin [BCG] vaccine - not as effective as it once was.
• Preventive therapy of household members
• Preventive therapy for latent TB infections
• Preventive therapy for at-risk people

Read more about prevention of Tuberculosis

Statistics for Tuberculosis

• Medical statistics for Tuberculosis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Tuberculosis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Tuberculosis
• Society statistics for Tuberculosis

Types of Tuberculosis

• Active TB - fully active TB disease
• Latent TB infections - an inactive form; also just called "TB infection"; about 10 to 15 million people in the United States
• Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) - newer TB strains that are resistant to many drugs.
• Miliary tuberculosis - causing multiple abscesses in various body parts.

Read more about Types of Tuberculosis

Stories from Users Related to Tuberculosis

• Daughter exihibits odd behavior randomly after alcohol consumption
• is it tb or pneumonia?
• Does TB go away?
• I would like to have a real diagnosis (possibly resistant TB?)
• Is this TB?
• Severe Asthma/Pneumonia/TB
• Mantoux tuberculosis test
• Tuberculosis
• TB
• "no medical concerns" was CNS Tuberculosis in child
• Side effects of Anti TB drugs
• continuous TB infection in lymphnodes in neck
• Could this be TB or similar disease?
• Is that Renal TB

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Tuberculosis, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic bacterial infection, causes more deaths worldwide than any other infectious disease. TB is spread through the air and usually infects the lungs, although other organs are sometimes involved. Some 2 billion people — one-third of the world's population — are infected with the TB organism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (Source: excerpt from Tuberculosis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Tuberculosis: NWHIC (Excerpt)

TB, or tuberculosis, is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria can attack any part of your body, but they usually attack the lungs. TB disease was once the leading cause of death in the United States. (Source: excerpt from Tuberculosis: NWHIC)

Definitions of Tuberculosis:

A species of gram-positive, aerobic bacteria that produces TUBERCULOSIS in humans, other primates, CATTLE; DOGS; and some other animals which have contact with humans. Growth tends to be in serpentine, cordlike masses in which the bacilli show a parallel orientation. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Infection transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of tubercle bacilli and manifested in fever and small lesions (usually in the lungs but in various other parts of the body in acute stages) - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Tuberculosis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Tuberculosis, or a subtype of Tuberculosis, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Tuberculosis as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet