Facts on Tuberculosis
Dec 27, 2005
TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is caused by bacteria called <i>mycobacterium tuberculosis </i>and usually occurs as pneumonia in the lungs, but can affect any organ system, including bones (extrapulmonary TB).
By Fred Ouma
TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is caused by bacteria called mycobacterium tuberculosis and usually occurs as pneumonia in the lungs, but can affect any organ system, including bones (extrapulmonary TB).
Dr. Tito Beyeza, head of orthopaedic department at Mulago Hospital, says TB of the bones accounts for about 8% of cases.
It is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. A bacteria-filled droplet is inhaled into the deepest portion of the lung, where it reproduces and spreads.
Dr. Francis Adatu, the national director for TB and Leprosy Programme, says touching or sharing utensils with a TB patient will not lead to infection.
About a third of the world’s population is infected with inactive (latent) tuberculosis, according to a report from WHO. If the immune system weakens, it can become active and cause disease.
Symptoms
They vary according to the type of disease. In extrapulmonary TB, there can be a hunchback curvature of the spine, painful joints and swelling of a knee or hip.
Who is likely to get it?
The risk of TB exposure is greatest in medical facilities and in crowded or poorly ventilated institutions. It is also great in areas with poor hygiene like slums, camps and prisons. If you are living with a person who has active tuberculosis or previously had it, but received inadequate or no treatment, then you are at risk.
Treatment
Beyeza says TB of the bones can be treated with antibacterial drugs like isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol and streptomycin or surgery. Drugs are prescribed for between six and eight months.
“TB does not eat up bones. It is cancer. In most cases, a combination of medication and surgery will lead to over 98% of cure,†says Beyaze.
Adatu encourages people who live or work in high-risk places to have regular TB tests. In Uganda, TB treatment is free.
TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is caused by bacteria called mycobacterium tuberculosis and usually occurs as pneumonia in the lungs, but can affect any organ system, including bones (extrapulmonary TB).
Dr. Tito Beyeza, head of orthopaedic department at Mulago Hospital, says TB of the bones accounts for about 8% of cases.
It is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. A bacteria-filled droplet is inhaled into the deepest portion of the lung, where it reproduces and spreads.
Dr. Francis Adatu, the national director for TB and Leprosy Programme, says touching or sharing utensils with a TB patient will not lead to infection.
About a third of the world’s population is infected with inactive (latent) tuberculosis, according to a report from WHO. If the immune system weakens, it can become active and cause disease.
Symptoms
They vary according to the type of disease. In extrapulmonary TB, there can be a hunchback curvature of the spine, painful joints and swelling of a knee or hip.
Who is likely to get it?
The risk of TB exposure is greatest in medical facilities and in crowded or poorly ventilated institutions. It is also great in areas with poor hygiene like slums, camps and prisons. If you are living with a person who has active tuberculosis or previously had it, but received inadequate or no treatment, then you are at risk.
Treatment
Beyeza says TB of the bones can be treated with antibacterial drugs like isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol and streptomycin or surgery. Drugs are prescribed for between six and eight months.
“TB does not eat up bones. It is cancer. In most cases, a combination of medication and surgery will lead to over 98% of cure,†says Beyaze.
Adatu encourages people who live or work in high-risk places to have regular TB tests. In Uganda, TB treatment is free.