An overview of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious illness that mainly affects the lungs. The germsthat cause tuberculosis are a type of bacteria. Tuberculosis can spread when a personwith the illness coughs, sneezes or sings. This can put tiny droplets with the germsinto the air.A type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it.This bacteria is thought to be over 3 million years old. Knowledge of the diseasedates back to ancient Greece and Rome. Tuberculosis, formerly called consumption, wasthe top cause of death in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century.While it's largely controlled in the U.S. now, it still kills more than a million peopleworldwide every year.People with HIV/AIDS and others with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of gettingtuberculosis because their bodies have a harder time fighting the bacteria.

A TB infection doesn’t always mean you’ll get sick. There are several stages and forms of the disease:

Primary TB. This is the first stage of a tuberculosis infection. Your immune systemmay be able to fight off the germs. But sometimes it doesn't destroy all of them, and they keep multiplying.You may not have any TB symptoms at this stage, or you might have a few flu-like symptoms.

Latent TB. You have the germs in your body, but your immune system keeps them from spreading. You don’t have any symptoms, and you’re not contagious.But the infection is still alive and can one day become active. If you’re at high risk for reactivation,your doctor will give you medications to prevent active TB. This usually happens if you have HIV,you had an infection in the past 2 years, your chest X-ray is unusual, or your immune system is weakened.

Active TB. The germs multiply and make you sick. You can spread the disease to others.Some 90% of active cases in adults come from a latent TB infection.

Active TB outside the lungs. A tuberculosis infection that spreads from your lungs to other partsof the body is known as extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Your symptoms will depend on which part of your body the infection affects.

A latent or active TB infection can also be drug-resistant, meaning certain medicationsdon’t work against the bacteria.

Tuberculosis bacteria spread through the air, just like a cold or the flu. You can get TB onlyif you come into contact with people who have it.

When someone who has TB coughs, sneezes, talks, laughs, or sings, they release tiny droplets that contain the germs. If you breathe in these germs, you can get the disease. This is why people who have active tuberculosis in their lungs or throat are morelikely to infect others. You usually can't spread TB if you have it in other areas of your body. 

TB is not easy to catch. You’re most likely to get it from co-workers, friends, or family members with whom you spend lots of time indoors.

Tuberculosis germs don’t thrive on surfaces. You can’t get it from:

Shaking hands

Kissing

Sharing food or drink

Sharing bed sheets, towels, or toothbrushes

Toilet seats

Tuberculosis Risk Factors

You're more likely to get tuberculosis if:

A friend, co-worker, or family member has active TB.

You live in or have traveled to an area where TB is common, like Russia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

You’re part of a group in which TB is more likely to spread, or you work or live with someone who is. This includes people who are unhoused, people with HIV, those in jail or prison, and those who inject drugs.

You work or live in a hospital or nursing home.

You’re a health care worker for patients at high risk of TB.

You’re a smoker.

If you havetuberculosis, you may not have any symptoms. That’s because the germs that cause this illness can live in your body without making you sick. In fact,most people who get infected with TB are able to fight the germs before they spread. Doctors call this “latent TB” infection.

But if the germs begin to multiply, you’ll become sick with tuberculosis. Doctors call this “active TB.” Symptoms may include:

A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer

Pain in your chest

Coughing up blood or mucus

Feeling weak or very tired

Unexplained weight loss

Chills

Fever

Sweating at night

Having no appetite

See your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms. TB can be cured with treatment. Without it, it could be fatal.

It may sound like a disease of the past, but tuberculosis,or TB, is still a real concern today. And as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth apound of cure. In other words, the best way to be well is to avoid getting sick in the first place.

How Is TB Spread?

A person who has the active disease in their lungs canspread it through the air. “Active” means the TB germs are multiplying and spreading in your body. If you’re in close contact with someone who has it, you can get it. That’swhy doctors advise those who have active TB disease to stay home and away from other people as much as possible, until they’re no longer infectious.

Stop the Spread of TB

If you have active TB disease, you must get treated right away. This might involve taking a number ofmedications for 6 to 12 months. It’s important to take all of your meds, as they’re prescribed, the entire time -- even ifyou feel better. If not, you can get sick again.

If you have TB germs in your body but they haven’t become active, you have what doctors call “latent TB.” You can’t spread thedisease to others. But your doctor may still recommend that you take medications to keep the germs from becoming active.

Follow these other tips to help prevent others from getting TB during your first few weeks of treatment, or until your doctorsays you’re no longer contagious:

Take all of your medicines as they’re prescribed, until your doctor takes you off them.

Keep all your doctor appointments.

Always cover your mouth witha tissue when you cough or sneeze.Seal the tissue in a plastic bag, then throw it away.Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing, Don’t visit other people and don’t invite them to visit you.

Stay home from work, school, or other public places.Use a fan or open windows to move around fresh air.

Don’t use public transportation.

In countries with high rates of TB infection, infants are often given the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine,or BCG. Doctors in the U.S. don’t generally recommend it because TB isn’t a widespread problem here.

Still, health careworkers who spend a lot of time around TB patients might benefit from the vaccine.Doctors make that decision based on the health careworker and their unique circumstances.