Tuberculosis Treatment

 Tuberculosis Treatment

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection caused by TB bacteria. TB bacteria are most commonly found in the patient's lungs and sputum. It infects other people through coughing, sneezing and spitting.

Symptoms of TB include coughing, weight loss, fatigue, fever in the afternoon, sweating at night and loss of appetite. Consult a doctor if you have symptoms or if you have a roommate with TB.

How to tell if you have TB?

1. Perform Chest X-ray - X-ray of the lungs, it is possible to see white lines or patches on the upper part of the lungs. This is a sign that the patient may have TB. But we still can't tell if TB or this scar is active.

2. Get a Sputum Test - In a sputum test, the patient will give his or her sputum to the laboratory to have it tested. When TB bacteria are detected, it is a confirmation that the patient has active TB.

What is the cure for TB?

When you are told you have active TB, you need to take anti-TB medicine. The medicine is for you to be healed and not to infect other family members.

TB treatment lasts for 6 or 9 months and is unlike any other infection that can be cured in a week.

You need to consult a doctor to find out the right treatment for you. Do not just take TB medicine. That is bad because you can only boost the bacteria in your body.

The 4 effective drugs for TB are Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide. Usually take 3 or 4 tablets daily.

To ensure that the patient is taking the medication daily, the DOH has a DOTS treatment program or Directly Observed Therapy Short Course. This means having a health worker or relative take care of the patient while he or she is taking his or her medicine every day.

TB treatment is just as important and the patient needs to be watched over. In other countries, they have a policy of arresting a TB patient who refuses to take medication. This is because the patient can infect many people.

So don't be stubborn anymore. Consult a doctor to treat TB completely. The treatment is easy.