Tuberculosis (TB) is an illness related to the respiratory system. It is a disease caused by a germ mainly found in your lungs. It is a contagious disease which means you have to take extra precaution for the safety of other people. By the continuous sneezing, talking and coughing these air-borne germs can spread to other people. It can turn into a dangerous disease if proper care is not taken. Due to lack of symptoms, doctors have distinguished it into TB infection and Active TB. TB infection provides no symptoms and is not contagious. On the other hand Active TB can make you sick and is very contagious. Even though we may think TB is no longer a threat it has still taken many lives. Millions have died even though we have proper medicines to prevent it. The need for proper care becomes very crucial for the survival of the patient. The symptoms remain dormant which makes the situation even worse.
As this is an air-borne disease, anyone can be infected. Once infected you may be in one of the two stages TB infection or Active TB (explained earlier). You can determine if you have TB when you have been tested for TB skin test (PDD test) and an X-ray of your chest. In the skin test the doctor injects you with a liquid, if it results in a bump; it is due to the TB infection. If the X-ray shows spots or shadow you may be suffering from this condition. If your immune system is very weak due to aging, HIV, malnutrition and other reason, this bacteria may just wake up to become active TB. In the earlier stages of TB, the immune system gives a good fight to kill the infection. The treatment for this infection can go on for years. TB can attack any part of your body including your joints, bones, urinary tract, central nervous system, muscles, bone marrow and lymphatic system. Therefore the signs and symptoms may vary depending which organ has been infected. There are some common signs and symptoms of TB which can help you deal with this problem. The early symptoms of active TB are loss of appetite, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Many a times these symptoms just do not make an impact causing chronic symptoms like coughing, chest pain and bloody sputum.
– Home Remedies for Tuberculosis