What is TB? and is it terminal?

Question

My Grandfather is in his early seventies has been taken into hospital recently and they are doing many tests on him, they first thought he had tumours, then they didnt know, now they are saying he may have TB, i know of tuberculosis, but dont know anything about it.

Any advice and answers would be very much appreciated.

Answer 1

TB is another name for Tuberculosis and yeah I'm afraid to say that it can be terminal, that's why we have the BCG injection - to stop us from getting it!!

It is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs. But, TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.

TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.

People with active TB disease can be treated and cured if they seek medical help.

Answer 2

TB, Tuberculosis, is one of the oldest known infectious diseases.Two probable references to tuberculosis are found in Old Testament books of the Bible dating to a time when the Israelites lived in Egypt, which is known from archaeological evidence to be an area where tuberculosis was then prevalent.

Even in this day and age this is a difficult bacteria to treat, usually initially 2 or 3 antibiotics are given at once. There are also a large number of resistant strains.

Most TB these days is of the human, chest type, but there is also a bovine(cow) type which can be passed to humans via contaminated milk.

Although treatable, and that does take months, this is a serious infection for a man of that age.

You will also find that the Local Area Medical Officer will want to screen close contacts, this may well include you.

Answer 3

About 1/3 of the world's population has the tuberculosis bacterium, many (90%) remain inactive and latent while others become symptomatic.

It can be eliminated with antibiotics but some strains of TB are resistent to the usual antibiotic regimes.

Hope your grandfather recovers well.

Answer 4

TB-tuberculosis is fatal if it's not treated and if it's caught early it can be cured, but back when it was a huge problem around the turn of the century many people were sent to sanitariums because of the level of contagiousness this disease was. If you were around your grandfather recently get tested because you dont want to be exposed to it. I know when my grandmother had it my mom sister and I all got tested to make sure we didnt catch it.

Answer 5

Have a look at this site here ........Questions and Answers About TB
Division of Tuberculosis Elimination ... International Notification of TB Cases ... What if I have a positive test for TB? What if I have been vaccinated with BCG? ...www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa.htm - 21k - Cached - More from this site

Answer 6

TB can be fatal if not treated properly. But since he is in the hospital, I'm sure they are taking all the necessary steps to ensure his recovery. When you visit him, they will tell you to wear a certain mask and gloves so you don't also get TB. He will be on meds for quite some time, and whomever he had contact with needs to be screened for TB also.

Answer 7

it used to be fatal but i think now it is treatable and there is a vaccine. im sure with the right treatment your dad will be fine, though he might need to stay in hopsital for a while.

all the best.

Answer 8

well.. it can be termnal if if is not taken care of at the early stages.

Answer 9

It used to be but its curable now

Answer 10

http://familydoctor.org/120.xml


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