Symptoms that indicate the presence of tuberculosis

The infectious agent is transmitted by drops of saliva emitted by cough or throat. Even if the bacteria is present in a person's body, as long as the infection does not evolve, and the person does not show symptoms, it is not contagious. Only patients with an active form of the disease are contagious. Also, a contagious person following a drug treatment is no longer contagious after two to three weeks after starting medication. • persistent cough (more than 3 weeks) accompanied by expectorations, sometimes with blood • feverish conditions • decreased appetite • weight loss without explanatory reasons • chest pain • tiredness and weight loss . Tuberculosis decreases the body in general, increasing the likelihood that the affected person will contract other illnesses or may aggravate the already existing.

In the case of patients susceptible to this disease, a skin test will be performed. It consists of the intradermal inoculation of a small amount of tuberculin (the substance extracted from tuberculous bacilli). After 72 hours, a positive reaction indicates the presence of the bacterium. Sometimes it takes several weeks for the test to indicate the presence of the bacterium. Positive skin reaction to tuberculin only indicates the presence of bacteria, which may be latent.

After a positive skin reaction, the patient will make a chest radiograph. Diagnosis is confirmed with sputum culture. In the case of patients who come to the doctor and present a diagnosis, the diagnosis will be made after chest X-ray, thoracic CT, bacterial sputum examination and eventually if the patient does not expect. Tuberculosis is a serious, but easy to cure condition. Treatment lasts for at least 6 months, but there are cases where it lasts for up to one year.

Under no circumstances can treatment be discontinued earlier than 6 months because the disease will become chronic, making it much harder to treat. Treatment is free of charge, and the first step is to isolate the patient in specially designed sections, where it will stay throughout the treatment. Subsequently, monitoring and eventual follow-up of lesser treatment can be done at home. At the same time, the nutrition of the patient, which must be varied, contains both products rich in albumin - meat, fish, cheese, eggs - as well as pastries, sweets and greens. It is important to remember that tuberculosis is healing if the patient strictly follows the treatment and proper diet.