How to Diagnose Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, or TB is an infectious type of a lung disease that can spread from one person to another if exposed. It is often fatal, and runs quite rampant in either Africa or Asia.But it is still somewhat common in the US as well as in other countries around the world.

TB can be pretty quiet within the body, and you can carry the germ that is not yet active. When it becomes active, then there are symptoms such as an unwell feeling, fever and chills, and once it is attacking the lung area, you will have coughing up of blood and a lot of chest pains. Many people don't know that TB can not only upset the lungs, but it can also cause kidney problems, and other bone problems within the spinal area. Another prominent sign of TB is a pronounced weight loss.

There are a number of ways in which a doctor can diagnose Tuberculosis. One of them is through the Mantoux test. This is an easy test where they inject you with tuberculin known as PPD. This painless injection is placed into your forearm area. You wait a few days, and if there is a form of a raised lump, that shows that you probably are carrying TB. This test is usually pretty accurate. But to really make certain about the diagnosis of TB, doctors will take it further and do a chest x-ray along with a CT scan which will show where the lungs may be carrying forms of bacteria that are related to TB.

Seeing that the testing shows signs of TB in both the Mantoux test and the X-rays, doctors will do certain numbers of culture tests which pick up on the secretions in the stomach. As you cough, your doctor will collect the secretions and place them in a sterile container or slide. They are sent to the laboratory in order to find the bacteria which relates to TB.

A false negative test may result from having had TB earlier on. If that is the case, then the Mantoux test may not show any positive result for as long as almost three months later. If you are also a person that has HIV or AIDS, the result may be a false negative, so this is something to keep in mind.

Once TB is found, it needs very aggressive treatments with many types of drugs. There are usually at least four drugs that you must take in order to get rid of the disease. As far as being contagious, you will be for at least 3 or 4 weeks after the treatment begins. After that, there is no risk to others becoming infected around you. It is also important to take the full course of ALL medications prescribed for you.