Do you know about tuberculosis?

March 24, 2024 is

The 29th World Tuberculosis Day,

The theme is "You and I work together to end the tuberculosis epidemic."

Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease common to humans, livestock and poultry caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Many organs and systems of the human body can be affected by tuberculosis, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous meningitis, bone tuberculosis, intestinal tuberculosis, skin tuberculosis, etc. Among them, pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common, accounting for about 85%.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Suspected symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis include coughing, expectoration for more than 2 weeks, hemoptysis or bloody sputum. In addition, chest tightness, chest pain, low fever, night sweats, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss are other common symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis.

The following are the main causes of tuberculosis:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: Pulmonary tuberculosis is transmitted through the air by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. When a person with tuberculosis coughs, sneezes or talks, droplets containing tuberculosis bacteria are released. If other people inhale these droplets, they may be infected with tuberculosis.

Weakened immunity: People with weakened immune systems are more likely to be infected with TB bacteria and develop TB.

For example, suffering from diseases such as AIDS, diabetes, leukemia, etc. will reduce the function of the immune system and increase the risk of tuberculosis.

Bad living habits: Bad living habits such as smoking, alcoholism, malnutrition, etc. can also reduce the body's immunity, thereby increasing the risk of tuberculosis.

Environmental factors: People living in crowded and unsanitary conditions are more likely to be infected with tuberculosis.

In addition, the working environment may also affect people's health. For example, places such as hospitals and laboratories may have a higher risk of infection.

Ways to prevent tuberculosis include the following:

Timely vaccination with BCG: BCG is a vaccine to prevent tuberculosis, which can effectively reduce the incidence of tuberculosis. It is recommended to vaccinate the baby as soon as possible after birth.

Maintaining good hygiene habits: washing hands frequently, covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing, and avoiding close contact with patients are all effective preventive measures.

1. Boosts Immunity:

The probability of a person infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis developing tuberculosis in his lifetime is about 10%. Whether or not the disease develops depends on the virulence and quantity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the body's resistance.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as a proper diet, moderate exercise, and adequate sleep, can enhance the body's immunity and reduce the risk of infection.

Pay attention to personal protection: People working or living among high-risk groups should take necessary personal protection measures, such as wearing masks, gloves, etc.

If there are elderly people or children at home, they must be properly isolated from the patients.

Especially when entering high-risk places such as hospitals and tuberculosis clinics, you must wear a medical protective mask.

Timely treatment of some chronic diseases: such as diabetes, AIDS, etc. will increase the risk of tuberculosis, so timely treatment and management are required.

Tuberculosis is treated with medicines.

For common pulmonary tuberculosis, we need to use four drugs, which is the most standard quadruple drug treatment in the world, and the treatment time is at least six months.