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| Pulmonary Tuberculosis |
PTB is a very common infectious disease usually seen in immunocompromised individuals. It primarily affects the lungs but other organs in the body may be involved. It is transmitted from person to person through inhalation of contaminated droplets coming from the sneeze or cough of an infected person. Once inhaled the bacteria enters and travels through the airways and becomes deposited in the lungs. The progression of the disease in the infected person depends now on the ability of the host to combat infection.
Normally our immune response is able to contain the infection so that the disease will not manifest clinically. If our body is not able to destroy the bacteria, this may stay and manifest sometime later in our life (dormant) or it may travel in other areas of the body and produce disease. This is called the primary infection and is usually seen in the young population. These children may have signs and symptoms of mild cough and fever, weight loss, night sweats, body malaise, and difficulty of breathing.
Individuals with compromised immune response are not able to contain the infection. The disease manifest clinically and they become acutely ill. Aside from fever, weight loss, fatigue, and breathing difficulty these individuals may cough up blood. This is called progressive primary tuberculosis.
Post primary tuberculosis is a reactivation of an old infection when the bacteria which is still in the body manifest signs and symptoms because the host’s immune response becomes compromised as a result of diseases or old age. This is usually seen years after the first infection.
Treatment includes use of multiple drugs taken daily for about six months or longer depending upon the response of the individual. It is important that the individual is free of the bacteria before discontinuing the medications. Early intervention is also important to prevent damage in the lungs. |
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