Tuesday, March 8, 2011

What is multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB


What is multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB)?
How did it become resistant to anti-tuberculosis drugs in the first place?  Which drugs did it become resistant to? 
Respiratory Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is spread through the air when a person sneezes, coughs, or breathes. Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis is resistant to at least two of the main drugs used to treat TB-- isoniazid (INH), and rifampin. TB primarily attacks the respiratory system although it can attack other organs as well. The symptoms of TB include fever, night sweats, weight loss, chest pain, and coughing. Tuberculosis can become resistant if a patient is not treated long enough, doesn't take prescribed medications properly, or doesn't receive the right drugs.
2 :
TB is caused by germs spread from person to person.Both TB and resistant TB spread the same way. Germs are put into the area by a simple sneeze from a person with TB, and those germs can linger for hours. When you breath in these germs, you can become infected. MDR TB is resistant to at least 2 of the TB treating drugs, Isoniazid and Rifampicin. It also resistant to to any fluoroquinolone and at least 1 of three inject-able drugs Amikacin, Kanamycin, or Capreomycin. Resistance can occur when these drugs are misused mismanaged such as, when patients don't complete their full course of treatment, when health care providers provide the wrong type of treatment, when the supply is not affable, or when the drugs are of poor quality. Hope this helps



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Posted by Tuberculosis at 10:30 AM