Coughing that lasts at least three weeks Coughing up blood Chest pain Discomfort when breathing or coughing Fever Chills Night sweats where you wake up soaking wet Exhaustion Loss of appetite Weight loss
People with suppressed immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS People with diabetes, serious kidney disease, and some forms of cancer People undergoing chemotherapy or taking drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting transplanted organs People taking certain drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis IV drug users and smokers Family members and people in close contact with an infected person Healthcare workers who treat people with a high risk People suffering severe malnutrition Children and the elderly People living or working in crowded residential facilities including prisons, immigration centers, nursing homes, or refugee camps People who have traveled or lived in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Russia, Latin America, or the Caribbean Islands
A skin test. During this test the doctor injects PPD tuberculin under the skin of your forearm. After two to three days the doctor will look at the site to see if you have a bump. If you do, it suggests you may have TB. This test can produce both false positives and false negatives. You may produce a false positive if you have received the bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine against TB. You may give a false negative if you’ve been infected so recently that you have not yet mounted an immune response. A blood test. The blood test is more sensitive and more accurate than the skin test. The doctor will likely order the blood test if there is reason to doubt the results of the skin test. Imaging tests. If your skin test came out positive, the doctor will likely want to check your lungs with an X-ray, a CT scan, or an endoscopy. During an endoscopy, a small camera on a long tube is inserted into your body to allow the doctor to examine the infected area more closely. If the doctor expects that the TB has infected an area of your body beyond the lungs, the doctor may request a CT, MRI, or ultrasound scan of that area too. A biopsy of the infected area. The sample would then be tested for TB bacteria. Sputum tests. The doctor is likely to request a sputum test if the image tests show evidence of an infection. The samples can be used to determine what strains of TB you have. This helps the doctor select the right medications for you. A positive result for TB will be available in one to two days, but it can take up to one to two months for the specific strain to be identified. These results are important for refining a course of treatment for drug-resistant TB. This test is also used to monitor someone with active TB — once you return negative sputum test, then you will be removed from quarantine and no longer be considered infectious.
Isoniazid. This medication can cause nerve damage. Tell your doctor if your hands or feet feel numb or tingle. You will also be given vitamin B6 to lessen the risk. Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifampicin). This medication can interfere with some types of birth control, including the combined contraceptive pill. If you are given this medication, use condoms as a backup method of birth control. Ethambutol (Myambutol). This medication can be harmful to your eyes. If you receive this medication, you should have a vision test when you start taking it. Pyrazinamide. This will be used in conjunction with other medications and may cause mild joint or muscle pain.
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics Injectable medications such as amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin Bedaquiline Linezolid
Nausea Vomiting Lack of hunger Jaundice Passing dark urine A fever for three or more days Tingling or loss of feeling in your extremities Blurred vision A rash or itchiness
Staying home from work or school until your doctor says you can return Not sharing a room when you sleep Covering your mouth when you cough, sneeze, or laugh Opening windows to bring in fresh air Throwing used tissues away in a sealed bag
If you stop the medications before the TB is fully eradicated from your system, the surviving bacteria may become resistant to the drugs you took. This means that when you get sick again with it, it will be harder to treat. [15] X Research source
You will be living and working in a country where TB is more common. You have a lowered immune system making you more vulnerable to contracting TB if you are exposed. People who have a higher risk are those who have HIV/AIDS, who are taking immune suppressing medications, or are receiving chemotherapy.
Open windows to ventilate the room she is in. Sleep in a separate room to reduce the amount of time you spend breathing the same air. Stay home from work or school.
It reduces the likelihood of the bacteria developing resistance to the medications. Drug resistant strains are much more difficult to eradicate if they spread to others.
