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Tuberculosis, TB, the Symptoms,Causes and Cure

                                     
        Tuberculosis or commonly known as TB is a contagious disease that spreads through the air with coming into contact with the coughing and sneezing of an infected person.
 It could be fatal if timely preventive treatment is not provided. It is caused by bacteria.
 It is largely curable if the proper medication is taken timely. 
Negligence in taking treatment on the part of an infected person can be very dangerous and could lead to further spread of the disease especially among the near and dear ones of the patients.

PRIMARY SYMPTOMS:-
  1. Cough lasting more than three weeks.
  2. Pain in chest.
  3. Loss of appetite.
  4. Slow weight loss.
  5. Coughing with blood.
  6. Chill.
  7. Fever.
  If anyone has these symptoms he must visit to his Doctor to get immediately tested.
Pulmonary and Extra Pulmonary:-

               Tuberculosis is normally classified as pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Pulmonary tuberculosis affects the lungs while extrapulmonary affects other parts of the body.

TB symptoms are not always prominently visible so this is called Latent TB. In this case patient, the infected person carries the germs but he has no symptoms and he is not contagious.
 Such kind of patient is at high risk of becoming active particularly if he is already HIV or his immune system is week.
 The active TB patients have primary symptoms like persistent coughing sometimes with blood, chest pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever,  night sweat, etc.
 Active TB patients cause infections to other persons who come into contact with him. If active TB patients cough or sneezes or spits especially sputum, TB germs flow in the air and infect the persons coming in close contact with them.
         
TB Infection in other parts of the body :-

Other than the lungs TB can cause infection in many other parts of the body
Other organs that can be affected include the lining covering the lungs, the central nervous system, bone and joints, lymph nodes, abdomen – where the liver, spleen, and the intestines can be affected, kidney and bladder can also be infected.
                              People with weak immune systems are more likely to contract TB.
 People having diseases like HIV or AIDS, Diabetes, Severe kidney disease, Head and neck cancers, Undergoing chemotherapy, poor nutrition, and weight loss, On heavy medication due to transplants are more prone to bacterial attack. Extrapulmonary TB has least chance of contact infection.

Week Immune System:-

                              A person with a weak immune system is at high risk of contracting TB infection. If the immune system of the body is strong a protective wall is created to fight the bacteria as soon as it enters the body but the weak immune system lets it in and allows it to persist leading to contracting the disease. 
The problem is, in the case of lung infection the symptoms are likely to appear very soon but in the case of extrapulmonary infection it takes very long time when the symptoms become visible. 
People who are HIV   or having diabetes, cancer, weight loss, or kidney problems have high chances of getting infected.
Treatment and Cure:-     
                                   Cold and coughs are very common and frequent among the people but if the symptoms aforesaid persist for a longer time the person in question must consult the doctor or seek medical help.

 The Doctor will ascertain through the tests whether it is latent TB or active TB and prescribe the medication accordingly. One must be careful to make sure that he undergoes complete treatment otherwise the disease might bounce back after some time especially among those patients who have a weak immune system.

 The good thing about tuberculosis is that it is now completely curable after the due medication is taken. Due to widely prevalent malnutrition in certain African and Asian countries, the Tuberculosis bacteria is killing a large no of people especially the children every year.
 By cultivating proper dietary habits to boost immunity the spread of tuberculosis can be prevented.


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