For treatment of active TB, which can be spread to others, or to treat complications of TB, you may be referred to:. Doctors diagnose active tuberculosis TB in the lungs pulmonary TB by using a medical history and physical examination, and by checking your symptoms such as an ongoing cough, fatigue, fever, or night sweats.
Doctors will also look at the results of a:. Diagnosing TB in other parts of the body extrapulmonary TB requires more testing. Tests include:. You may also have a blood test for hepatitis. During treatment, a sputum culture is done once a month—or more often—to make sure that the antibiotics are working. You may have a chest X-ray at the end of treatment to use as a comparison in the future. You may have tests to see if TB medicines are harming other parts of your body.
These tests may include:. Public health officials encourage screening for people who are at risk for getting TB. Doctors treat tuberculosis TB with antibiotics to kill the TB bacteria. These medicines are given to everyone who has TB, including infants, children, pregnant women, and people who have a weakened immune system. Health experts recommend: footnote 7 footnote 4. Treatment is recommended for anyone with a skin test that shows a TB infection, and is especially important for people who:.
Treatment for tuberculosis in parts of the body other than the lungs extrapulmonary TB usually is the same as for pulmonary TB. You may need other medicines or forms of treatment depending on where the infection is in the body and whether complications develop. You may need treatment in a hospital if you have:. If treatment is not successful, the TB infection can flare up again relapse.
People who have relapses usually have them within 6 to 12 months after treatment. Treatment for relapse is based on the severity of the disease and which medicines were used during the first treatment.
Active tuberculosis TB is very contagious. But this vaccination is almost never used in North America because:. Home treatment for tuberculosis TB focuses on taking the medicines correctly to reduce the risk of developing multidrug-resistant TB.
During treatment for TB, eat healthy foods and get enough sleep and some exercise to help your body fight the infection. If you are losing too much weight, eat balanced meals with enough protein and calories to help you keep weight on.
If you need help, ask to talk with a registered dietitian. Because TB treatment takes so long, it is normal to:. Your doctor or health department can help you find a counsellor or social worker to help you cope with your feelings. Several antibiotics are used at the same time to treat active tuberculosis TB disease. For people who have multidrug-resistant TB, treatment may continue for as long as 24 months.
These antibiotics are given as pills or injections. TB disease that occurs in parts of your body other than the lungs extrapulmonary TB usually is treated with the same medicines and for the same length of time as active TB in the lungs pulmonary TB.
But TB throughout the body miliary TB or TB that affects the brain or the bones and joints in children may be treated for at least 12 months. Corticosteroid medicines also may be given in some severe cases to reduce inflammation. They may be helpful for children at risk of central nervous system problems caused by TB and for people who have conditions such as high fever, TB throughout the body miliary TB , pericarditis , or peritonitis.
One antibiotic usually is used to treat latent TB infection, which cannot be spread to others but can develop into active TB disease. For this treatment, a health professional may watch you take each dose of antibiotics. Taking every dose of antibiotic helps prevent the TB bacteria from getting resistant to the antibiotics. Multiple-drug therapy to treat TB usually involves taking four antibiotics at the same time.
This is the standard treatment for active TB. If you miss doses of medicine or you stop treatment too soon, your treatment may go on longer or you may have to start over. This can also cause the infection to get worse, or it may lead to antibiotic-resistant infections that are much harder to treat. Taking all of the medicines is especially important for people who have an impaired immune system. They may be at an increased risk for a relapse because the original TB infection was never cured.
Surgery is rarely used to treat tuberculosis TB. But it may be used to treat extensively drug-resistant TB XDR-TB or to treat complications of an infection in the lungs or another part of the body. Surgery has a high success rate, but it also has a risk of complications, which may include infections other than TB and shortness of breath after surgery.
Surgery sometimes may be needed to remove or repair organs damaged by TB in parts of the body other than the lungs extrapulmonary TB or to prevent other rare complications, such as:. Current as of: September 23, Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: E. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.
Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is either latent or active. Latent TB means that you have the TB bacteria in your body, but your body's defences immune system are keeping it from turning into active TB. This means that you don't have any symptoms of TB right now and can't spread the disease to others.
If you have latent TB, it can become active TB. Active TB means that the TB bacteria are growing and causing symptoms. If your lungs are infected with active TB, it is easy to spread the disease to others. How is TB spread to others? Who is most at risk for TB? This includes people who: Have HIV or another illness that weakens the immune system. Have close contact with someone who has active TB, such as living in the same house as someone who is infected with TB. Care for a patient who has active TB, such as doctors or nurses.
Live or work in crowded places, such as prisons, nursing homes, or homeless shelters, where other people may have active TB. Have poor access to health care, such as homeless people and migrant farm workers. Misuse of drugs or alcohol.
What are the symptoms? Symptoms of active TB may include: A cough that brings up thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs called sputum for more than 2 weeks. Tiredness and weight loss. Night sweats and a fever. A rapid heartbeat. Swelling in the neck when lymph nodes in the neck are infected.
Shortness of breath and chest pain in rare cases. How is TB diagnosed? How is it treated? Cause Tuberculosis TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis , slow-growing bacteria that thrive in areas of the body that are rich in blood and oxygen, such as the lungs.
Symptoms If you have latent tuberculosis TB , you do not have symptoms and cannot spread the disease to others. Symptoms of active TB in the lungs Symptoms of active TB in the lungs begin gradually and develop over a period of weeks or months. Common symptoms include: A cough with thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs sputum for more than 2 weeks.
Fever, chills, and night sweats. Left untreated,TB can kill approximately one half of patients within five years and produce significant morbidity illness in others. Inadequate therapy for TB can lead to drug-resistant strains of M. Not everyone who inhales the germ develops active TB disease. In most tuberculosis infections, the body's natural defenses are able to control the infection. Only about 10 percent of those infected will develop active disease in their lifetimes.
Instead, the bacteria persist as a latent TB infection, which cannot be spread to other people. Active disease can occur in an infected person when the body's resistance is low or if a large or prolonged exposure to the germs overcomes the body's natural defenses.
The body's response to active TB infection produces inflammation that can damage the lungs. The damage can be extensive even if the symptoms are minimal. Active TB disease occurs most often in the lungs. Key audiences for this booklet are people with or at risk for TB; people who may have been exposed to someone with TB; people who provide services for those at high risk for TB, such as correctional officers, homeless shelter workers, and emergency responders; and people who want to learn more about tuberculosis.
Why is TB still a problem in the United States? What are the tests for TB infection? What if I have a positive test for TB infection? Back to Health A to Z. Tuberculosis TB is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.
It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy abdomen , glands, bones and nervous system. TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it's treated with the right antibiotics.
Read more about the symptoms of TB and diagnosing TB. TB is a bacterial infection. TB that affects the lungs pulmonary TB is the most contagious type, but it usually only spreads after prolonged exposure to someone with the illness.
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