Tuberculosis
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tuberculosis is an old disease that dates back to 2400 BC found in fragments in Egyptian mummies's spinal columns. It is commonly known as TB. There is latent Tuberculosis infection which progresses into Active Tuberculosis Disease. Only people with active TB can transmit the disease to others through coughing, spitting, speaking, and/or sneezing.It mainly attacks the lungs. People who suffer from tuberculosis cough a lot. They feel pain in their chest. They also feel very tired. The disease can be treated now. It still kills many people in the world every year.
Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its symptoms include a long-lasting bad cough, pain in the chest, coughing up blood or sputum [1], weakness and tiredness, weight loss, being not hungry, chills, fever, and sweating at night. TB is contagious, which means it can be spread from person to person.
Tuberculosis can be spread by sharing air with an infected person, because the disease stays on very small water droplets that come out of the lungs when humans breathe. People get Tuberculosis when they spend large amounts of time with infected people. There is a 22% that an exposed person will come down with the disease. People who have a latent TB infection (they carry the disease, but do not have symptoms) can not transmit the disease.
Tuberculosis has a 90% chance of turning into a latent TB infection. Over the course of the patient's life, there is a 10% chance that the latent TB infection will turn into full-blown Tuberculosis. TB commonly targets the lungs in over 75% of cases. This is called Pulmonary Tuberculosis. There is a form of TB called miliary TB that causes small, millit seed-shaped lesions on the lungs. This commonly targets immunosupressed individuals, as well as small children.
