Tuberculosis is a global disease. In India alone, 3,30,000 patients die every year. TB can involve any part of the body, but lung tuberculosis is the commonest as TB bacteria spreads by airborne methods (cough). Patients generally have symptoms like weight loss, loss of appetite, low to medium grade fever for more than three weeks.
Tuberculosis diagnosis can be a very challenging task. It’s done through: Chest X-ray Sputum examination for AFB (acid fast bacilli) in typical patients. If these investigations are negative, then tuberculosis diagnosis can be very difficult as TB can be a differential diagnosis in virtually all infective diseases.
In countries like India, where TB is rampant, many a times it is a diagnosis by exclusion.
In spine, brain, bone and abdominal tuberculosis, CT scans of specific areas can be very helpful.
Tuberculosis Treatment:
Lasts for at least 6-9 months. In bone TB, it can take up to 18 months. With proper compliance, response to anti-TB drugs is very good and most patients recover completely.
Not taking first line drugs properly results in drug resistance and emergence of MDR-TB (MTB resistant to Rifampicin and Isoniazide). In MDR-TB, second line anti-TB drugs are used for nearly 18 to 24 months and unfortunately, not with good results.
You may have TB If you have undiagnosed fever and cough for more than 3 weeks If you have blood in your sputum
Also remember Always take complete tuberculosis treatment for 6-9 months Stopping treatment midway, even if you feel well, can promote MDR-TB, a very difficult disease to treat. Never add one or two second line anti-TB drugs to a failing first line regime, as it will only promote MDR-TB.
QuantiFERON- TB Gold test, ELISA test should be recommended by experts only.
DOTS treatment under RNTCP is available at several TB centres free of cost. Today, lack of finance is not a reason to treat TB effectively in DOTS era.
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