What Causes Tuberculosis?

Latent TB

This is when a patient has the tuberculosis bacteria in their body, but they are not ill. The bacteria is technically “asleep” in the body, and the person cannot pass them on to others. Because of this, they may not know that they have the tuberculosis bacteria. They only discover that they have it through a skin or blood test that checks for tuberculosis. Damage from the bacteria will not be seen if they have an X-ray of their lungs. However, even though the person is not ill, they can be treated with medication to make sure that the tuberculosis bacteria is removed from their body. There are two types of medications that are generally given to patients with latent TB. They are taken together for three months then one is taken for six months. About one in ten patients with latent tuberculosis go on to have the active kind of the disease.

Continue reading to find out what the active type of this disease is.

Active TB

Active TB means that the tuberculosis bacteria in a person’s body has “woken up,” and they are now symptomatic and can pass the disease onto others. Active TB can take years to develop and can emerge from latent TB when the body can no longer suppress the bacteria. In the middle to late stages of tuberculosis, the patient develops a cough that lasts three weeks or longer. Sometimes they cough up blood or thick gray or yellow sputum. They have a low fever or chills, lose weight without trying and suffer from chronic fatigue. They have night sweats, chest pain, shortness of breath and urine that is sometimes reddish or cloudy.

Keep reading to reveal who is most at risk for contracting TB now.