Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Introduction

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious communicable disease, which primarily affects the lungs. The disease, once rare in developed countries, began to increase in 1985. This was partly due to the rising incidence of HIV, which weakens the immune system. However, in 1993, cases of TB began to decrease in United States due to better control programs (Mayo Clinic, 2013).

Discussion

Description of Tuberculosis

The symptoms of TB are only produced when the disease become active. The bacteria of TB are transmitted through respiratory droplets in cough or sneeze, from one person to another. The bacteria can harbor into any organ, such as kidney, lymph nodes, or bones; however, it commonly affects the lungs. Some frequently observed symptoms of TB, comprises of productive cough with rusted or blood-tinged sputum, fever, weight loss, night sweats associated with chills, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite (Mayo Clinic, 2013).

If left untreated, tuberculosis can lead to serious complications. Through hematogenous route, it can spread to other organs of the body. The bacteria can spread to infect bones, primarily the spinal bones. It can also spread to the brain causing meningitis, which can be fatal. Furthermore, the infection leads to liver, kidneys, and heart, causing their malfunction (Mayo Clinic, 2013).

The treatment of tuberculosis involves medication for six to nine months. For this reason, the compliance to the medication is significantly low, resulting in complication or reoccurrence. In order to facilitate patients from complying with the treatment, doctors recommend directly observe therapy (DOT). The commonly used medication comprises of Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide (Mayo Clinic, 2013).

Demographics and health statistics

Tuberculosis is the second most common infectious disease resulting in the high number of deaths due to a single infectious agent, after HIV/AIDS. According to the World Health organization (WHO), 8.7 million were infected from tuberculosis, with the mortality of 1.4 million, during the year of 2011. The majority of the deaths associated with tuberculosis, about 95 percent, are seen among the low- and middle- income countries. It is also one of the top three causes of death among women of ages between 15 and 44. In patients of HIV, tuberculosis is the leading cause of mortality, taking up to one quarter of all deaths. Although, the number of people getting infected with tuberculosis is declining due to strict control programs all over the world, the declining rate is slow (WHO, 2013).

Region

Incidence

Prevalence

Deaths

Population

Africa

2,300,000

2,500,000

220,000

857,382,000

Americas

260000

330,000

21,000

943,019,000

Eastern Mediterranean

660,000

1,000,000

99,000

608,628,000

Europe

380,000

500,000

45,000

899,500,000

South-East Asia

3,500,000

5,000,000

480,000

1,830,361,000

Western ...