What happens after TB is cured?
Once your course of treatment is finished, you may have tests to make sure you are clear of TB. You might need more treatment if tests show there is still TB bacteria in your body, but most people will get the all-clear.
With treatment, TB can almost always be cured. A course of antibiotics will usually need to be taken for 6 months. Several different antibiotics are used because some forms of TB are resistant to certain antibiotics.
Yes, this is true. Even after you finish taking all of your TB medicine, your TB skin test or TB blood test will still be positive.
In most people who breathe in TB germs and become infected, the body is able to fight the TB germs to stop them from growing. The TB germs become inactive, but they remain alive in the body and can become active later. This is called latent TB infection, or LTBI for short. People with LTBI » » » » » Have no symptoms.
While tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease, it's also very treatable. The best way to avoid complications from the disease is to take medications regularly and complete the full course as prescribed. In the United States, people with TB can live a normal life, both during and after treatment.
In a prospective study of 74 hospitalised patients with newly diagnosed TB, 54% had improved lung function with treatment and the rest had either no change or worsening pulmonary function [3].
Tuberculosis Life Expectancy
Researchers have found that people who have survived active tuberculosis disease through successful treatment may have a lower life expectancy than people with a latent infection, estimating a loss of 3 to 4 years of life.
“Pulmonary TB patients tend to suffer from lung damage after TB, which is associated with mortality, and poorer quality of life,” she continues. “Doxycycline is a cheap and widely available antibiotic that can decrease lung damage, and potentially improve quality of life for these patients.”
People with TB disease need to take several medicines when they start treatment. After taking TB medicine for several weeks, a doctor will be able to tell TB patients when they are no longer able to spread TB germs to others. Most people with TB disease will need to take TB medicine for at least 6 months to be cured.
Although tuberculosis is contagious, it's not easy to catch. You're much more likely to get tuberculosis from someone you live or work with than from a stranger. Most people with active TB who've had appropriate drug treatment for at least two weeks are no longer contagious.
Can TB scars be removed?
TB scar cannot be treated. This scar will stay for lifetime.
The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected.
Patients who present with advanced pulmonary tuberculosis may have considerable residual lung damage even after they are treated and cured. Scarring of the lungs, volume loss, and bronchiectasis are all common in patients who present with extensive disease at the time of diagnosis.
It has been proposed that a tuberculosis scar is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, as the scarring of the lung after tuberculosis might predispose an individual to lung cancer. 4 , 5 , 6 A tumor which arises from a tuberculosis lesion is known as tuberculosis scar cancer.
Foods Rich in Vitamin A, C and E
Fruits and vegetables like orange, mango, sweet pumpkin and carrots, guava, amla, tomato, nuts and seeds are an excellent source of Vitamin A, C and E. These foods must be included in the daily diet regime of a TB patient.
Skip tobacco in all forms. Don't drink alcohol — it can add to the risk of liver damage from some of the drugs used to treat your TB. Limit coffee and other caffeinated drinks. Limit refined products, like sugar, white breads, and white rice.
Complications of TB after treatment completion can often be misinterpreted for other active diseases so it is important to recognize and understand the radiologic manifestations of the thoracic sequelae. Post TB sequelae can be categorized into parenchymal, airway disease, pleural/chest wall, vascular and mediastinal.
Note: Home isolation is recommended for the initial three to five days of appropriate four-drug TB treatment.
Kissing, hugging, or shaking hands with a person who has TB doesn't spread the disease.
to be repeated? If you have a negative skin test, you need a repeat test at least once every four years. If you have a documented positive skin test, you must have an initial chest X-ray. After that, you still need to be screened every four years.
How long does TB skin last?
Your health care provider MUST check your arm 2 or 3 days after the TB skin test, even if your arm looks OK to you. If you have a reaction to the test, it will look like a raised bump. Your health care provider will measure the size of the reaction. If there is a bump, it will go away in a few weeks.
According to The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, there is no way to know how long a person with scarred lungs will live. The average life expectancy for a person with scarred lungs used to be three to five years after diagnosis, but improvements in treatments mean those estimates are now outdated.
After taking antibiotics for 2 weeks, most people are no longer infectious and feel better. However, it's important to continue taking your medicine exactly as prescribed and to complete the whole course of antibiotics. Taking medication for 6 months is the best way to ensure the TB bacteria are killed.
Persons who have or are suspected of having infectious TB disease should be placed in an area away from other patients, preferably in an airborne infection isolation (AII) room.
After taking TB medicine for several weeks, a doctor will be able to tell TB patients when they are no longer able to spread TB germs to others. Most people with TB disease will need to take TB medicine for at least 6 months to be cured.
Unlike other respiratory infections, TB can lead to permanent lung damage. Therefore, TB may turn from being a treatable infectious disease into a chronic disease that can cause morbidity in successfully treated patients [1].
Always cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Seal the tissue in a plastic bag, then throw it away. Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. Don't visit other people and don't invite them to visit you.
