What Is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects the lungs. Some people can have the tuberculosis bacteria in their body and never develop symptoms. Others can experience tuberculosis and fall seriously ill. Luckily, most people can be cured of TB with the right medical treatment.
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when people cough, sneeze, or spit.
You can contract the tuberculosis bacteria, but not develop the disease. This is called latent TB. If you carry the bacteria and develop tuberculosis disease, you have active TB. Latent TB always has the potential to develop into active TB, which can be fatal if not treated.
If contracted, you may experience symptoms such as:
- A bad cough that lasts for weeks
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing blood or phlegm from the lungs
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Chills
- Fever
- Night sweats
About 5-10% of people who have tuberculosis will develop symptoms at some point in their lives. Others may have the TB bacteria in their body but will never develop symptoms. Most of the time, people who have compromised immune systems or are experiencing HIV infection, cancer, or diabetes are at higher risk of contracting tuberculosis.
Diagnosis for tuberculosis
Only a licensed healthcare professional can diagnose tuberculosis. The doctor will start by doing a physical examination and completing tests like:
- Using a stethoscope to listen to your lungs.
- Checking the lymph nodes in your neck, which help fight infection.
- Doing a skin test, where the doctor injects a small amount of fluid in your arm and monitors the skin for a reaction (bump or redness).
- Doing a blood test, which is used to measure how your immune system reacts to the germs that cause TB.
- Doing a chest X-ray or computerized tomography (CT) scan to look for physical indicators of the infection.
A health care provider will interview you to determine if you have been exposed to TB. The skin test and blood test can determine if you have the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, but not whether you have active tuberculosis disease. The tests can help determine if TB is active in your body and which type of TB you have.

QUESTION
Bowel regularity means a bowel movement every day. See AnswerTreatments for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) can be completely cured with the right treatment. Your doctor and health care team will be there to help you every step of the way. The key to a successful recovery is following the treatment as prescribed and communicating any questions and concerns with your doctor.
Medications
Patients with latent tuberculosis do not show symptoms and are not contagious. However, they are still treated to prevent the bacteria from developing into active TB. Latent TB is commonly treated with the antibiotic isoniazid for six months or longer.
Many people undergo treatment for active TB for a period of at least six months. During this time, patients take medicine in the form of a pill. The medicine is a mix of antibiotics called:
- Isoniazid
- Rifampicin
- Pyrazinamide
- Ethambutol
However, some tuberculosis is resistant to these medications, making them less effective in treating TB. This is called drug-resistant TB {Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Tuberculosis (TB).”}. If this is the case for you, your doctor may recommend alternative and more extensive treatment. Some alternative antibiotic medicines the doctor may prescribe to treat drug-resistant TB include:
- Levofloxacin
- Moxifloxacin
- Bedaquiline
- Delamanid
- Linezolid
For drug-resistant TB, your doctor may recommend taking these alternative medications for a period of 20 to 30 months. You may also be admitted to the hospital for an extended stay under supervision by medical professionals. Drug-resistant TB is complicated to treat, and not all patients will undergo the same treatment.
If you have a weakened immune system, or are experiencing another condition like HIV or cancer, your medical team may take special precautions with your treatment because you are at a higher risk of active TB infection and possible death.
Despite these challenges, tuberculosis is considered treatable and curable.
Possible complications and side effects
If you have tuberculosis (TB), you might feel tempted to stop treatment when you start feeling better. It is very important to finish the medicine prescribed by your doctor even if your symptoms improve or go away. If treatment is not completed, there is a chance that TB may reoccur, and you could become seriously ill.
There are possible complications from the medications used to treat TB. You might experience side effects like:
- Sick feeling
- Dizziness
- Skin rash
- Flu-like symptoms (vomiting, nausea, upset stomach)
- Feeling of pins and needles
- Yellowing of skin or eyes (in severe cases)
Other medications may have different side effects. Consult your health care provider about possible complications of any medications you might take for tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is preventable and curable if diagnosed and treated properly. Talk to your doctor if you think you have been exposed to TB or are experiencing symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Tuberculosis (TB)."
The Truth About TB: "About the treatment."
World Health Organization: "Tuberculosis."
Top Can Tuberculosis (TB) Be Completely Cured Related Articles
acetylcysteine
Acetylcysteine, a mucolytic agent, is used to treat pulmonary diseases like chronic emphysema, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and acute pneumonia. Acetylcysteine breaks up mucus and makes it easier to cough up and clear the lungs. Common side effects include bronchospasm, odor, drowsiness, fever, coughing up blood (hemoptysis), increased volume of bronchial secretions, irritation of tracheal or bronchial tract, nausea, and others. Do not use if you have acute asthma. Consult your doctor if you have a history of bronchospasm, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.Cipro, Cipro XR
Ciprofloxacin (generic name), Cipro, Cipro XR (brand names) is an antibiotic prescribed for the treatment of many skin, lung, airway, bone, and joint infections caused by susceptible bacteria. Examples include complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), gonorrhea, chronic bacterial prostatitis, typhoid fever, chronic bronchitis, infectious diarrhea caused by E. coli, Shigella, and Campylobacter jejuni, anthrax poisoning, and TB (tuberculosis).Historical Illnesses Coming Back?
Despite medical progress, tuberculosis, measles, and scarlet fever keep infecting people worldwide. Why are these diseases from history so tough to stamp out? Learn about bubonic plague, chlamydia, mumps, and whooping cough, along with treatment and prevention information.Mono (Infectious Mononucleosis)
Infectious mononucleosis is a virus infection in which there is an increase of white blood cells that are mononuclear (with a single nucleus) "Mono" and "kissing disease" are popular terms for this very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).Is Tuberculosis (TB) Contagious?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis (TB). TB may be transmitted when an infected person sings, sneezes, coughs, or talks. TB symptoms and signs include coughing bloody sputum, night sweats, severe cough, fever, chills, fatigue, and weight loss.isoniazid
Isoniazid is an antitubercular agent used to treat latent and active tuberculosis (TB), caused by susceptible organisms of Mycobacterium genus, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Common side effects of isoniazid include signs of liver toxicity (hepatotoxicity), nausea, vomiting, upper abdominal (epigastric) distress, inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), nerve damage in the extremities (peripheral neuropathy), convulsions, toxic brain damage (encephalopathy), optic nerve damage and wasting (optic neuritis and atrophy), memory impairment, toxic psychosis, blood disorders, and others. Consult your doctor if pregnant or breastfeeding.Rifadin (rifampin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide)
Rifadin is an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis (TB). Common side effects of Rifadin include upset stomach, heartburn, nausea, menstrual changes, headache, drowsiness, tired feeling, or dizziness. Rifadin should be used with caution in patients with a history of diabetes.rifampin
Rifampin is a semisynthetic antibiotic used to treat latent or active tuberculosis, a disease caused by mycobacterial infection, and the asymptomatic carrier state of meningococcal disease. Common side effects of rifampin include heartburn, abdominal distress, nausea, vomiting, gas (flatulence), abdominal cramps, diarrhea, loss of appetite (anorexia), elevated liver enzymes, and mild itching and flushing. Overdose of rifampin can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, itching and lethargy, with unconsciousness in people with severe liver disease. Consult your doctor if pregnant or breastfeeding.Tuberculosis (TB)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). Symptoms and signs of TB include bloody sputum, fever, cough, weight loss, and chest pain. Treatment depends upon the type of TB infection.Tuberculosis Skin Test (PPD Skin Test)
The tuberculosis skin test is based on the fact that infection with M. tuberculosis produces a delayed-type hypersensitivity skin reaction to certain components of the bacterium. The standard recommended tuberculin test is administered by injecting 0.1mL of 5 TU (tuberculin units) PPD into the top layers of skin of the forearm. "Reading" the skin test means detecting a raised, thickened local area of skin reaction, referred to as induration. The area of induration (palpable, raised, hardened area) around the site of injection is the reaction to tuberculin.What Causes Tuberculosis?
Learn about the causes of tuberculosis and what to do if you are exposed.What Is the Most Common Cause of Bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung condition in which the bronchi (tube-like passageways that transfer air within the lungs) get permanently damaged and widened. The most common causes of bronchiectasis are pneumonia, pertussis, tuberculosis and non-tuberculosis mycobacterium.Where Does Tuberculosis Come From?
Tuberculosis (TB) is an illness caused by a bacteria will get into your lungs and cause an infection there, but it can also attack other areas of your body, including your kidneys, brain, and spine. Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that comes from a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.