my mother has severe pain in her joints & constant fever. doctors hv diagonised it as TB. please help if you have any knowledge abt a similar case, its treatment & how severe can it be? what should i do?
2006-07-03 05:15:55 · 6 answers · asked by mati 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
Doctors generally use a combination of 4 antibiotics to treat active TB, whether it occurs in the lungs or elsewhere. Medications for active TB must be taken for at least 6 months. Almost all people who take their medications as directed are cured. If tests continue to show positive results, treatment is extended for 8 to 9 months.
One antibiotic taken for 9 months is the usual treatment for latent TB. This prevents the infection from becoming active and reduces the risk of complications.
If you miss doses of medication or you stop treatment too soon, your treatment may go on longer or you may have to start over. This can also cause the infection to get worse or lead to antibiotic-resistant infections that are much harder to treat.
A health professional may have to watch you take your medications. This may mean daily visits to a doctor's office or public health facility, or you may have home visits. A cure for TB requires you to take all doses of the antibiotics. Direct observational treatment ensures that people follow medication instructions, which is helpful because of the long treatment course for TB. Cure rates for TB have greatly improved because of this treatment practice.
If active TB is not treated, it can damage the lungs or other organs and can possibly cause death.
2006-07-03 05:17:00 · answer #1 · answered by ndtaya 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The most common meds used to treat TB is Rifampin and Ethambutol...
She will need to take it for 6 months, and you should get a PPD Tuberculin test as well and if you HAVE been exposed, you will also need to take TB medication for 3 months as a prophylaxis...
Tuberculosis is a chronic disease, which means it's slow to show symptoms and hard to cure. That is why the medications should be take for 6 months... but it is cureable...
BTW... Tuberculosis is ONLY in the lungs and the joint pain might be due to the large number of white blood cells that the body is making to try to fight the disease is "turning" against the soft cartilige of the joints...
Good Luck
2006-07-03 09:33:26 · answer #2 · answered by $ue 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
TB is a serious and contagious disease. Speak to a doctor ASAP. Doctors generally use a combination of 4 antibiotics to treat it, whether it occurs in the lungs or elsewhere. Medications for active TB must be taken for at least 6 months.
2006-07-03 05:18:56 · answer #3 · answered by Blue Jean 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He needs to be in a climate like New Mexico. Lots of Sunshine. That's what my Aunt did..seriously! She felt 100% better. I'm sorry to hear this about your mother. If you feel your physician could do more...Please find another Dr.
2006-07-03 05:31:37 · answer #4 · answered by 4mom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
now-a-days it is quite rare to die of tb, if she is having treatment she should make a full recovery
2006-07-03 05:18:13 · answer #5 · answered by greengunge 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
check webmd.com
2006-07-03 05:18:26 · answer #6 · answered by gleva 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋