Friday, January 28, 2011

Is tuberculosis contagious

Is tuberculosis contagious?
My boyfriend has tuberculosis and i want to know if its contagious. If it is how do i know if i have it without going to the doctor? he was born with it but none of his parents have it
Infectious Diseases - 11 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
yes its extremly contagious and dangerous. Some people have TB and they are just carriers of it. but it is not contagious that way. If someone is suffering from the TB then its extremly contagious. If you do have it you need to get tested and so does your family and friends. very dangerous.
2 :
YES! TB is extremely contagious, and there are resistant strains of it popping up all over the place, so it is getting harder to treat. Is your boyfriend on any kind of treatment, like INH?
3 :
Very very very contagious! See a doctor ASAP. They can test you and see if you have contracted it. And avoid your BF until he's not contagious anymore. His dr will tell him when that is.
4 :
If it wasn't contagious, then the media wouldn't be all over a story such as this.....
5 :
Was he recently diagnosed and is he sick? You can test positive but not be sick or contagious. It is an air born disease - through sputum, kissing , sex etc. But he would have to be sick now. If he was diagnosed sometime ago and treated he will always test positive but not be contagious. There is a lot of information to be found on the American Lung Association site.
6 :
YES!!!!! You can't. They have to do a TB test. GO TO THE DOCTOR
7 :
Yes, TB is contagious. I advise you not to take a wait-and-see position. Schedule a Mantoux test right away and find out if you've been exposed. FYI: The Mantoux is what a lot of people call a PPD, which stands for purified protein derivative and which is the protein injected just under the skin as part of the Mantoux test.
8 :
TB or tuberculosis is very contagious which is why they usually quarantine people who have it so they don't infect anyone else. If you've been exposed to it you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
9 :
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease that usually affects the lungs, but can also spread to other parts of the body. It is caused by the airborne bacterium Myobacterium tuberculosis. Because it is airborne, TB is generally transmitted when someone infected with TB coughs, sneezes, laughs or otherwise expels breath into the air. Once in the air, the bacteria can stay alive for several hours. However, brief exposure to TB bacteria rarely results in infection. Most people who contract TB become infected after repeated exposure to the bacteria (e.g., from another household member). Anyone can become infected with TB. Because TB is caused by close contact with people who are already infected with TB, anyone who lives or works closely with someone with TB is at risk. However, the risk of contracting TB from contact with infected people is significantly increased among certain groups. The most significant risk factor for TB is a weakened immune system. It is because of this that people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are most at risk for TB. Both AIDS and the virus that causes it, HIV, damage the bodyâ€™s immune system. This damage makes people with HIV or AIDS less able to fight infections, including TB. To put your mind at ease, how about reading up on TB and learning all you can. It'll help you and your boyfriend, you know? : ) http://cold.health.ivillage.com/pneumonialunginfection/tuberculosis.cfm
10 :
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.
11 :
YES

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Monday, January 24, 2011

have you ever ate dog food and got a disease called tuberculosis

have you ever ate dog food and got a disease called tuberculosis?
ive been eating dog food for 2 years i lost 134 pounds my body looks great you can actaully see bones then i got tuberculosis i was in the hospital for 5 years i lost all of my hair and now i way 98 pounds and im 21 is that ok
Respiratory Diseases - 8 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
oh my god....
2 :
um, no Why are you eating dog food anyway?
3 :
OoooooooooooooooK
4 :
No thats not okay that you are 21 at 98 lbs. and i have ate dog food but i would not have eaten it regularly
5 :
I hope this is a joke. Although a bad one.
6 :
Why do you eat dog food? Do you eat the canned food or the dry food? Why would someone do this?
7 :
There's no reason you'd be in a hospital for 5 years because of TB and TB is a respiratory disease. You cannot contract it through food - not even dog food. Your story sounds hokey to me. And in another question you posted, you ask "Will I be able to get insurance when I turn 16?" So what is it? Are you under 16 or are you 21?? Don't waste our time.
8 :
Tuberculous is airborne. It is a respiratory lung disease. The treatments is antibiotics most common treatment is penicillin

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

TNFÎ± inhibitors and tuberculosis

TNFÎ± inhibitors and tuberculosis?
How does the use of TNFÎ± inhibitors contribute to the increased incidence of reactivation of tuberculosis? I know that TNFÎ± is needed for granuloma formation but don't the inhibitors remove TNFÎ± from the cytokine milieu? Wouldn't TB be prevented then?
Medicine - 1 Answers
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1 :
I think the key here is to understand that the absence of disease signs (such as granulomas) doesn't mean the absence of disease - it can mean quite the opposite, especially in those with suppressed immune systems. You're correct in noting that TNF alpha plays a key role in the formation of granulomas. However, the body forms normally forms granulomas as a defense (think siege) mechanism against pathogens such as TB. If this mechanism is sufficiently disrupted by a TNF inhibitor (or other form of immunosuppression), TB not only can 'escape' and reactivate, but may also present in a far more serious form, called miliary TB. Miliary TB requires extended treatment compared to 'conventional' TB, and even with early detection and appropriate treatment, carries a far higher mortality rate

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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Who would win in a fight between Malaria, Ebola Virus, and Tuberculosis.. Back up with info please

Who would win in a fight between Malaria, Ebola Virus, and Tuberculosis.. Back up with info please!?
Self-explanatory, its for a self test for my bio class.. Help is appreciated! Thanks!
Infectious Diseases - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Ebola hands down. There is no treatment or cure and death occurs within days. There is treatment and prophylaxis for malaria and treatment for tuberculosis. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001339.htm
2 :
If by win, do you mean which is the most powerful disease? I'd go for Ebola. Ebola is a virus. There is no vaccine. It has a nearly 100% fatality rate. And before you die, you bleed out of your orifices. Also, there's no cure. The only upside so to speak is that Ebola quickly burns itself out and is fairly rare. Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease. Deaths used to be prevalent, but are now controlled with certain vaccines and improved hygiene. Because it is a bacterial disease, it can be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is a problem though. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite. It is very prevalent and infects between 350-500 million people and kills about 1-3 million. There is no vaccine. There are antimalarial drugs, but the parasites have become resistant to some of them. The best treatment is prevention with a bed net and preventing the mosquito vector. So for the worst of those three, I'm gonna go with Ebola

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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

What a two symptoms of tuberculosis

What a two symptoms of tuberculosis?

Infectious Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
night sweats and hemoptisis.
2 :
Weight loss and chronic cough

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Saturday, January 8, 2011

I have a history of Tuberculosis & been treated 6 years ago,am i still eligible to be a CNA

I have a history of Tuberculosis & been treated 6 years ago,am i still eligible to be a CNA?
Thanks in advance:)
Health Care - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I think so. You will have to get a chest x-ray to prove that you don't have an active infection since you will aways have a positive skin test because you had TB at one point

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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

What are the causes of Tuberculosis

What are the causes of Tuberculosis?

Respiratory Diseases - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
it is a disease of the lungs. its very bad and can die from it back in the old days you did. it is not treatable and it can leave but you have to be very careful. take care.
2 :
it's some kind of disease that can spread in your body
3 :
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that is most often found in the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can spread to other parts of the body (extrapulmonary TB). TB in the lungs is easily spread to other people through coughing or laughing. Treatment is often successful, though the process is long. Treatment time averages between 6 and 9 months. Tuberculosis is either latent (dormant) or active. Latent TB means that you have the TB-causing bacteria in your body, but you cannot spread the disease to others. However, you can still develop active TB. Active TB means the infection is spreading in your body and, if your lungs are infected, you can spread the disease to others. What causes tuberculosis? Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, slow-growing bacteria that thrive in areas of the body that are rich in blood and oxygen, such as the lungs. What are the symptoms? If you have latent TB, you will not have symptoms unless the disease becomes active. Most people don't know that they have latent TB. Symptoms of active TB may include: Ongoing cough that brings up thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs (sputum). Fatigue and weight loss. Night sweats and fever. Rapid heartbeat. Swelling in the neck (when lymph nodes in the neck are infected). Shortness of breath and chest pain (in rare cases). Sometimes, when you are first infected, the disease is so mild you don't know you have it. This is also true for people with latent TB because they have no symptoms. How is TB spread to others? People who have a latent TB infection cannot spread the disease. TB in the lungs (pulmonary TB) is contagious. It spreads when a person who has active disease exhales air that contains TB-causing bacteria and another person inhales the bacteria from the air. TB in other areas outside of the lungs (extrapulmonary TB) cannot spread easily to others. How is TB diagnosed? Latent TB is usually found through a tuberculin skin test (also called a TB skin test, PPD test, or Mantoux test) or a blood test. Active TB is diagnosed by finding the TB-causing bacteria in fluid from the lungs (sputum) or in samples from other parts of the body. Doctors sometimes use a chest X-ray to help diagnose active TB. Extrapulmonary TB is diagnosed by a biopsy and culture, CT scan, or MRI. How is it treated? Doctors generally use a combination of four antibiotics to treat active TB, whether it occurs in the lungs or elsewhere. Medications for active TB must be taken for at least 6 months. Almost all people who take their medications as directed are cured. If tests continue to show an active TB infection, treatment is extended for 8 to 9 months. One antibiotic taken for 9 months is the usual treatment for latent TB. This prevents the infection from becoming active and reduces the risk of complications. If you miss doses of medication or you stop treatment too soon, your treatment may go on longer or you may have to start over. This can also cause the infection to get worse or lead to antibiotic-resistant infections that are much harder to treat. A health professional may have to watch you take your medications. This may mean daily visits to a doctor's office or public health facility. Or the health professional may come to your home or workplace. A cure for TB requires you to take all doses of the antibiotics. Direct observational treatment ensures that people follow medication instructions, which is helpful because of the long treatment course for TB. Cure rates for TB have greatly improved because of this treatment practice. If active TB is not treated, it can damage the lungs or other organs and can possibly cause death
4 :
Its caused by the mycobacterium complex: M. tuberculosis and M. Africanum, and M. bovine (primarily in cattle). Its spread through airborned droplets produced by people infected with pulmonary or laryngeal TB when they cough, sneeze or sing (any respiratory effort) and through unpastuerized milk from infected cattle

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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Is one immune to tuberculosis if she or he has it before

Is one immune to tuberculosis if she or he has it before?

Infectious Diseases - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
No, it can repeat.
2 :
Not at all-they are more susceptible of getting it again.
3 :
No. You don't ever get rid of it either. M. tuberculosis just stays dormant until the immune system shows a weakness.
4 :
Nope. TB scars your lungs making you more susceptible to lung illnesses

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