{"id":536,"date":"2020-07-29T16:34:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T16:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/?p=536"},"modified":"2020-07-29T16:34:15","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T16:34:15","slug":"11-signs-of-tuberculosis-you-shouldnt-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/11-signs-of-tuberculosis-you-shouldnt-ignore\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Signs of Tuberculosis You Shouldn\u2019t Ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Right now the entire world is concerned with the emergence of a new virus, but there are still other illnesses to worry about. Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs, but is actually bacterial in nature. Still, it is transmitted much the same way, via tiny droplets that float through the air on the wind of coughs and sneezes.<\/p>\n

The incidence of tuberculosis infections has risen and fallen in recent years, but the good news is that we are in a relatively low period due to the implementation of better control programs. But since tuberculosis is difficult to treat, it\u2019s important to recognize the signs just in case.<\/p>\n

One of the trickier facets of tuberculosis is that you can remain free of symptoms for years after the initial infection. Stick with us to learn more about TB and how to protect yourself and your family.<\/p>\n

Types of tuberculosis<\/h4>\n

Healthy people with no underlying conditions may breathe in TB germs but be protected from a full-blown infection by their immune system. In some cases, bacteria remain in the body in an inactive state that does not cause noticeable symptoms. This is called latent TB.<\/p>\n

Latent TB is not contagious, but it has the potential to become active TB. This distinction means that the person will feel ill and can spread TB to others. The timeline from latent to active TB is different for everyone. You might become ill within weeks of contracting the bacteria, or it could be several years, if at all.<\/p>\n

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Risk factors for TB<\/h4>\n

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People who have been recently infected and those with underlying medical conditions that weaken the immune system are at a greater risk for tuberculosis. Doctors pay special attention to those who fall into certain categories:<\/p>\n

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  • Friends and family members of a person who has been diagnosed with active TB<\/li>\n
  • Children younger than 5 years who have tested positive, even if the infection is latent<\/li>\n
  • People who fall into certain high-risk groups, including IV drug users, people with HIV, and homeless persons<\/li>\n
  • Those who recently immigrated from a region with a high rate of tuberculosis, including some countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia<\/li>\n
  • Professionals who work with people who have TB or are at a higher risk for it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    Symptoms of active TB<\/h4>\n

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    You won\u2019t notice a latent TB infection, and because the disease is relatively uncommon today, doctors don\u2019t routinely test unless you have one or more risk factors for it. However, when the infection becomes active, you may experience the following uncomfortable symptoms.<\/p>\n

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    1. A persistent cough lasting three weeks or more<\/li>\n
    2. Coughing that brings up blood<\/li>\n
    3. Blood in the urine<\/li>\n
    4. Chest pain or back pain; pain with breathing<\/li>\n
    5. Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss<\/li>\n
    6. Intermittent fevers<\/li>\n
    7. Night sweats<\/li>\n
    8. Chills<\/li>\n
    9. Fatigue<\/li>\n
    10. A struggle to breathe in fully<\/li>\n
    11. Body aches or a generalized feeling of being unwell<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Most tuberculosis infections occur in the lungs, but it can also damage the spine, brain, and kidneys. The pain experienced tends to localize at the primary infection point. So for example, if your infection is primarily in the spine, your back will hurt. If in your kidneys, you may notice blood in your urine.<\/p>\n

      Because many of the symptoms of tuberculosis are non-specific and occur for multiple conditions, your doctor will be looking for you to have several symptoms as well as a particular risk factor. Other diseases and disorders may need to be ruled out before moving to a TB test.<\/p>\n

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      Getting tested for TB<\/h4>\n

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      The test for tuberculosis is a skin prick test known as the Mantoux tuberculin skin test. The doctor will use a needle to inject a small amount of fluid under the skin of the forearm. This fluid is called tuberculin and it contains inactive TB protein.<\/p>\n

      The results are \u201cread\u201d in two or three days. Basically, if a raised bump or swelling appears at the injection site, it\u2019s a positive result that indicates the presence of TB bacteria. However, a positive result does not necessarily mean that you have active TB.<\/p>\n

      In most cases, doctors will want to treat even latent TB to prevent the possibility of an active infection that becomes contagious.<\/p>\n

      Because tuberculosis is relatively rare at this point in time, you probably won\u2019t need a routine screening for it unless you fall into a high risk category. Thankfully, TB is treatable, though it generally requires a variety of powerful antibiotics given to reduce the chances of the disease becoming resistant to medication. For now, just being able to recognize the signs of tuberculosis puts you ahead of the game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Right now the entire world is concerned with the emergence of a new virus, but there are still other illnesses to worry about. Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs, but is actually bacterial in nature. Still, it is transmitted much the same way, via tiny droplets that float through the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":550,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536\/revisions\/550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readymadewebsiteshop.com\/OrganicFoodsBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}