These germs usually attack the lungs. They can also attack other parts of the body, such as, the kidneys, brain, or spine. TB disease will make you sick. People with TB disease may spread the germs to people they spend time with every day. You may have been exposed to TB if you spent time near someone with TB disease of the lungs or throat. You can only get infected by breathing in TB germs that a person coughs into the air. If you have been around someone who has TB disease , you should go to your doctor or your local health department for tests.
The skin test is used most often. A small needle is used to put some testing material, called tuberculin, under the skin. In days, you return to the health care worker who will check to see if there is a reaction to the test. In some cases, a TB blood test is used to test for TB infection. To tell if someone has TB disease , other tests such as chest x-ray and a sample of sputum phlegm that is coughed up from deep in the lungs may be needed. The TB bacterium is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings, or laughs.
Good ventilation is the most important measure to prevent the transmission of TB. TB affects people of all ages, races and income levels. Those at higher risk include the following:. The following are the most common symptoms of active TB.
However, each person may experience symptoms differently:. The symptoms of TB may look like other lung conditions or medical problems. Talk with a healthcare provider for a diagnosis. TB is often diagnosed with a skin test. In this test, a small amount of testing material is injected into the top layer of the skin. If a certain size bump develops within 2 or 3 days, the test may be positive for tuberculosis infection.
Other tests include X-rays and sputum tests. A blood test can be done in place of the TB skin test.
If you will be spending time with a person or people with active TB, wear a face mask and try not to stay in a small enclosed space with poor ventilation. People who work in situations where there is a high risk for encountering people infected with TB, such as healthcare workers, should be tested for TB on a routine basis. In countries outside the U. Health Home Conditions and Diseases.
The following are the stages of TB: Exposure. This happens when a person has been in contact with, or exposed to, another person who has TB. The exposed person will have a negative skin test, a normal chest X-ray, and no signs or symptoms of the disease. Latent TB infection. This happens when a person has TB bacteria in his or her body, but does not have symptoms of the disease. The infected person's immune system walls off the TB organisms, and the TB remains inactive throughout life in most people who are infected.
Be sure to tell the doctor or nurse when you spent time with the person who has TB disease. It is important to know that a person who is exposed to TB bacteria is not able to spread the bacteria to other people right away. Only persons with active TB disease can spread TB bacteria to others. Before you would be able to spread TB to others, you would have to breathe in TB bacteria and become infected. Then the active bacteria would have to multiply in your body and cause active TB disease.
At this point, you could possibly spread TB bacteria to others. People with TB disease are most likely to spread the bacteria to people they spend time with every day, such as family members, friends, coworkers, or schoolmates. Some people develop TB disease soon within weeks after becoming infected, before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick years later, when their immune system becomes weak for another reason.
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