TUBERCULOSIS

Margaret Ray & Rebekah Bollman

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the bacterium mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is most commonly located in the lungs, but
can be found in other parts of the body such as the spine, the joints, the brain, as well as other organs. There are two types of
TB: latent TB infections and active TB disease. Active TB disease which can be fatal, unlike latent TB.

STATISTICS AND CAUSES

STATISTICS
All statistics are taken from the year 2016 and are from the United States and the World. The reported amount of
tuberculosis cases in the US was 9,272 while 660 of those cases were fatal. In the World 10.4 mil. cases were reported and
1.7 mil. of them were fatal. The number of child cases worldwide is 1 mil. and 250,000 of those reported cases ended in
death.

CAUSES OF TB
Tuberculosis is spread, most commonly, person to person. This is because when a person with active TB coughs, speaks,
sneezes, spits, laughs, or sings microscopic droplets of the tuberculosis bacteria goes into the air. There are risk factors for
contracting TB, these include being HIV positive or having AIDS, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, cancer treatment, and
traveling or living in certain countries.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS

DIAGNOSIS
Specialists run tests to determine if someone has TB. For example, to check to see if TB is in a patient’s lungs, specialists will
take a chest x-ray and a phlegm sample. If a person has TB elsewhere in their body, a sample will be taken of the infected
area. Those in contact with the infected person will have to undergo tests such as a Mantoux test on the skin or an interferon
gamma release assay(IGRA) that tests the blood and immune system. Chest x-rays will also be performed.

TREATMENTS
An antibiotic medicine prescribed by your doctor will be given to you based on your age, health, and whether you have active
or latent TB. TB can also be drug resistant meaning that antibiotics would not work. Some common antibiotics are Isoniazid,
Rifampin, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide. Side effects can vary depending on your TB. It is important to take the antibiotics
for as long as your doctor tells you to.

SYMPTOMS

 Coughing for three or more weeks or coughing up  Unintentional weight loss and loss of appetite
blood  Fever
 Chest pain or pain breathing  Fatigue
 Night sweats and/or chills

HOW TB HAS SHAPED THE WORLD

Many famous people who have gone down in history have met their end through TB. Famous poet Edgar Allan Poe lost
both his mother and wife to tuberculosis. Historical figures including John Smith, Pocahontas, James Madison, Andrew
Jackson, and Eleanor Roosevelt also died from TB. Famous Authors George Orwell, Emily Bronte, and Jane Austen all died
from TB. Dr. Selman Wakesman created streptomycin, the first antibiotic for TB in 1943. Improvements were made later.