Saturday, February 28, 2009

Prevalence of tuberculosis as a cause of Male and female infertility: Review of Literature

Prevalence of tuberculosis as a cause of Male and female infertility: Review of Literature?

Infectious Diseases - 1 Answers
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1 :
Hey. I'd start with this paper and follow the references: Lenk, Severin; Schroeder, Joerg. Genitourinary tuberculosis. Current Opinion in Urology. 11(1):93-96, January 2001. Good luck



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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

If you take a PPD test while your resistance is low, is there a possibility you will develop tuberculosis

If you take a PPD test while your resistance is low, is there a possibility you will develop tuberculosis?

Infectious Diseases - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
not from the PPD test. the test is just an injection of TB antigen. if you've had it before, you'll develop an immune reaction at the injection site. if not, nothing will happen. if you've had TB, you likely still have it. in which case, if you become immunocompromised, it can reactivate



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Friday, February 20, 2009

can two people with the tuberculosis trait infect their children with full blown tuberculosis

can two people with the tuberculosis trait infect their children with full blown tuberculosis?

Infectious Diseases - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
There isn't a tuberculosis trait. It's an infection. People who are around people who have tuberculosis can pass it on.
2 :
Likely. Are the people in the hospital?
3 :
some people may be more susceptible to certain infections, if both of you then your child may be as well; that is different than being infected... in which case there is obvious immediate risk to the child of course!
4 :
This is not a genetic disease that is automatically passed on. This is a cold like virus, where the parents have an active case... it's not always active, the body seals it off and it becomes inactive...can't transmit. They may get it if they have an active case and sneeze in their face. Please everybody with TB sneeze in a kleenex, and keep hands washed...for the world's sake. Thanks.
5 :
Tuberculosis (TB) is primarily an illness of the respiratory system, and is spread by coughing and sneezing. Each year about 1.6 million people die from this curable disease. A child usually gets TB infection from being exposed to a sputum-positive adult. Young children below ten years of age are at risk of becoming infected with TB bacilli. They are also at high risk of developing active tuberculosis because the immune system of young children is less developed. The chance of developing TB disease is greatest shortly after infection. When children present with active tuberculosis disease their family members and other close contacts should be investigated for TB to find the source of the disease and treat them as necessary. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in children can be difficult because children under the age of 10 years usually cannot cough up enough sputum to be sent for laboratory investigations to confirm the infection of tuberculosis. The diagnosis is thus largely based on the clinical features of cough, weight loss, with a history of close contact with an infectious adult TB patient. With increasing coverage of BCG vaccination, the tuberculin skin test is no longer considered a confirmatory test. Chest X-rays of children are difficult to interpret as the typical shadow is rarely seen. Suspect TB in a child * Who is ill, with a history of contact with a suspect or confirmed case of pulmonary TB; * Who does not return to normal health after measles or whooping cough; * With loss of weight, cough, fever who does not respond to antibiotic therapy for acute respiratory disease; * With abdominal swelling, hard painless mass and free fluid; * With painless firm or soft swelling in a group of superficial lymph nodes; * With signs suggesting meningitis or disease in the central nervous system



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Monday, February 16, 2009

Can antimicrobics treat and cure tuberculosis

Can antimicrobics treat and cure tuberculosis?
Are there still BCG (TB) vaccines used in other countries?
Other - Diseases - 4 Answers
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1 :
If you have tuberculosis, your Doctor will tell you about the latest medication.
2 :
There are BCG vaccines still used. I hear they have popularity in southeast asia and Latin america. They are about 50% effective. Antimicrobics can treat TB. 6 months to a year of a combination of between 1 and 3 medications will cure it. INH is the main drug used. Pyridoxamine is another. I can't remember the other two used. The infection is particularly hard to get rid of, even with the excellent medications that we have. It is extremely important to adhere to the medications and take them every day even if you feel better.
3 :
TB is a curable infectious disease, the quadruple antibiotics commonly used are isoniazid (INH), rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide. The reason for use of 4 different antibiotics is because the bacteria can develop resistance to treatment easily if not treated properly. BCG is still used in developing countries but is not used in the U.S.
4 :
It really depends on what strain of bacteria you are infected with. It can definitely cure TB, but if the bacteria is getting more resistant to the antibiotic, you will have to resort to other antibiotics that are more risky and have stronger side effects



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Thursday, February 12, 2009

what is the treatment for a person with drug resistant tuberculosis

what is the treatment for a person with drug resistant tuberculosis?

Infectious Diseases - 4 Answers
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1 :
Take a long plane ride.....with no mask.
2 :
quarantine in a very far away place!
3 :
My son has HIV and is resistant to so much, that he takes a med, now, called Zyvox.........it costs $100 a pill.......but, he gets help with that cost. Has your doctor tried that for you? It might work for you. It helps my son.
4 :
I am assuming this is for just curiosity sake, not that you know someone who has it! The treatment for the most resistant form of TB (aka, extreme drug resistant TB XDR TB) consists of four drugs: 1) Isoniazid (INH) 6 months 2) Rifampin 6 months 3) Pyrazinamide (PZA) 2 months 4) Ethambutol 2 months Dosages change with age and weight. Also, Vitamin B6 is added because PZA can interfere with the metabolism of B6 in your diet. Also, isolation for the first 21 days of treatment in a negative pressure room. Drugs intake afterwards must be monitored by a nurse daily, since some people stop taking them after they become assymptomatic. Hope that satisfies your curiosity, Dr. J



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Sunday, February 8, 2009

what are the symptoms of tuberculosis

what are the symptoms of tuberculosis?
even if there are no signs and symptoms is there any possibility that a person would be diagnosed to have a TB?
Respiratory Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
you'd get incredibly sick, i think it'd be hard to miss.
2 :
Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease that is transmitted during coughing and sneezing. Many people are exposed to tuberculosis, yet not everyone develops tuberculosis disease. Some people may carry tuberculosis infection for many, many years before developing tuberculosis disease. Others may have a tuberculosis infection, yet never develop tuberculosis disease. Those persons who do develop tuberculosis disease, will experience signs and symptoms of tuberculosis. It is believed that the strength of the immune system determines whether a tuberculosis infection develops into tuberculosis disease. People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, are more susceptible to developing tuberculosis disease. Unlike tuberculosis infection, tuberculosis disease is contagious. This is because the Mycobacterium that causes the disease is active. People infected with tuberculosis disease may experience any of the following signs and symptoms: Nausea / weakness / fatigue Rapid weight loss Fever Night sweats Cough Chest pain Hemoptysis If you are experiencing any of the above signs and symptoms of tuberculosis, see your doctor immediately



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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

whats the significance between the immune system and leprosy and tuberculosis

whats the significance between the immune system and leprosy and tuberculosis?

Infectious Diseases - 1 Answers
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1 :
Bacteria that cause leprosy and tuberculosis are extremely difficult to kill. They grow very slowly and can not be phagocytized (in other words, killed). The body tries extremely hard to kill the microbes with little success, releasing chemicals that end up damaging the person instead of the bacteria. Thus, the immune system actually hurts the body trying to kill the bacteria



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Sunday, February 1, 2009

Alcohol consumption while on tuberculosis treatment

Alcohol consumption while on tuberculosis treatment?
Hello, I am in the 4th month of tuberculosis treatment. It isn't pulmonary tuberculosis, it has affected my bones. Pyrazinamide has been stopped last month but I'm still on rifampicin, isoniazid & ethambutol. Is it reasonably safe (I know that it isn't recommended) to have a couple of drinks once in a week? I am 16 years old, male, & my body weight is 49KG (aproximately 108 lbs)
Infectious Diseases - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
1. you are 16, and last time I checked, the legal drinking age is 21. 2. Some of the drugs used to treat TB (including the ones you're on) can be hepatotoxic (meaning they are poisonous to the liver), and consuming alcohol would be an additive effect. so no, you shouldn't drink until your 9 or 12 or however many months of treatment you have are over!
2 :
Hope this helps. It's about all I found. This is about daily alcohol consumption though. So I think to be on the safe side I'd recommend you lay off any type of alcohol while you are being treated with these medications. Read the following. http://www.critpath.org/aric/gloss/body/isoniazid.htm



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