By: Kristen Sieck and Scott Senftner 3rd Period Health Class Tuberculosis Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs. By: Kristen Sieck and Scott Senftner 3rd Period Health Class

Did you know… You can get TB by breathing in air droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person.

Did you know… 2. In the USA, most people will recover from TB without further infection.

3. Most people with TB have been infected in the past. Did you know… 3. Most people with TB have been infected in the past.

Did You Know… 4. Fish can get TB too

5. The following people are at higher risk for active TB: a. Elderly Did You Know… 5. The following people are at higher risk for active TB: a. Elderly b. Infants c. People with weakened immune systems, for example due to AIDS, chemotherapy, diabetes, or certain medications

6. Your risk of contracting TB increases if you: Did you Know 6. Your risk of contracting TB increases if you: a. Are in frequent contact with people who have TB b. Have poor nutrition c. Live in crowded or unsanitary living conditions

Did You Know… 7. In the United States, there are approximately 10 cases of TB per 100,000 people. However, rates vary dramatically by area of residence and socioeconomic status.

a. Clubbing of the fingers or toes (in people with advanced disease) Did You Know 8. Examination may show: a. Clubbing of the fingers or toes (in people with advanced disease) b. Enlarged or tender lymph nodes in the neck or other areas c. Fluid around a lung (pleural effusion) d. Unusual breath sounds (crackles)

Did You Know… 9. Tests may include: a. Biopsy of the affected tissue (rare) b. Bronchoscopy c. Chest CT scan d. Chest x-ray e. Interferon-gamma blood test such as the QFT-Gold test to test for TB infection f. Sputum examination and cultures g. Thoracentesis h. Tuberculin skin test

Did You Know… 10. You may need to take many different pills at different times of the day for 6 months or longer

Did You Know… 11. When people do not take their TB medications as recommended, the infection becomes much more difficult to treat. The TB bacteria may become resistant to treatment, and sometimes, the drugs no longer help treat the infection.

Did You Know… 12. Symptoms often improve in 2 - 3 weeks. A chest x-ray will not show this improvement until later. The outlook is excellent if pulmonary TB is diagnosed early and treatment is begun quickly.

Did You Know… 13. TB is a preventable disease, even in those who have been exposed to an infected person. Skin testing (PPD) for TB is used in high risk populations or in people who may have been exposed to TB, such as health care workers.

Did You Know… 14. In 2007 there were an estimated 13.7 million chronic active cases, 9.3 million new cases, and 1.8 million deaths, mostly in developing countries.

Did You Know 15. Symptoms often improve in 2-3 weeks. A chest x-ray will not show this improvement until later. The outlook is excellent if pulmonary TB is diagnosed early and treatment is begun quickly.

Treatment… The goal of treatment is to cure the infection with drugs that fight the TB bacteria. Treatment of active pulmonary TB will always involve a combination of many drugs (usually four drugs). All of the drugs are continued until lab tests show which medicines work best. The most commonly used drugs include: a. Isoniazid b. Rifampin c. Pyrazinamide d. Ethambutol

Treatment… Other drugs that may be used to treat TB include: Amikacin Ethionamide Moxifloxacin Para-amino salicylic acid Streptomycin ------------------------------------- You may need to be admitted to a hospital for 2 - 4 weeks to avoid spreading the disease to others until you are no longer contagious. Your doctor or nurse is required by law to report your TB illness to the local health department. Your health care team will be sure that you receive the best care for your TB.

Sources… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/ Google images.com Wikipedia.com