Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Does tuberculosis cause permanent damage to the lungs

Does tuberculosis cause permanent damage to the lungs?

Infectious Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
Yes, TB basically eats ur lungs away, doing damage that cant be undone.
2 :
It can, especially if left untreated. Most people who test positive have latent TB - they were exposed at some time but their immune system contained the infection. About 10% of people who have been infected develop actual illness at some point in their lives. In latent TB (which is not infectious - cannot be transmitted to others), the immune system creates walls around infected tissue in the lung. These walled off areas are called tubercles (hence the disease name tuberculosis). These tubercles are a form of lung damage, but generally don't actually impact a person's respiratory function. When TB advances to become a serious disease, treatment is required to help the person recover as well as prevent transmission to other people. If the TB is responsive to antibiotic therapy, most people recover completely, though it can take six months to two years of treatment before the TB is eradicated. In severe illness and in cases where the TB is drug resistant, permanent lung damage can occur. In extensively drug resistant TB, surgery is sometimes required to remove infected and severely damaged lung tissue. Hope that's helpful!

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