Tuberculosis ( TB ); Once was also called as Consumption!

March 24, 2021 admn_young_news

Tuberculosis is a chronic disease caused by bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( discovered by Robert Koch ) and that has affected mankind for almost more than 4000 years. It can spread person to person through air. This usually damages the lungs but it can also affect other parts of the body such as kidneys, intestine, brain and spine too. Each year, 10 million new cases of tuberculosis are reported and 1.4 million people die of TB worldwide. In India,
Approximately 80,000 people died of TB and 2,40,000 cases are active.

In the case of Pulmonary TB, it may cause heavy cough, pain in chest, difficulty in breathing, extreme weight loss, weakness or fatigue and fever. Tuberculosis is among the top 10 killer infectious diseases, second only to HIV. According to World Health Organisation ( WHO ), tuberculosis is world wide pandemic. It is a leading cause of death among HIV infected people.

In India, historically speaking, fight against TB can be broadly classified into three periods, first one will be categorised as, early period, second will be before the discoveries of x-ray and chemotherapy and the last one is post-independence period; during which nationwide TB control programs were initiated and implemented; and the current period, during which the ongoing WHO-assisted TB control program is in place.

A healthy balanced diet for a person with TB
Cereals, millets and pulses. Vegetables and fruits. Milk and milk products, meat, eggs & fish. Oils, fats and nuts and oils seeds.

As a TB patient , you must avoid caffeine, refined sugar and flour, sodium, and bottled sauces. Foods containing saturated and trans fats worsen the TB symptoms of diarrhoea and abdominal cramping and weakness. Including, alcohol and tobacco are a definite “NO” during the disease treatment and cure phase.

The usual treatment to get cure from this is
Taking antibiotics (isoniazid and rifampicin) for 6 months. And additional antibiotics (pyrazinamide and ethambutol) for the first 2 months of the 6-month treatment period.

Can tuberculosis be completely cured?
As per doctor said, TB can usually be completely cured by the person with TB taking a combination of TB drugs. The only time that TB may not be curable is when the person has drug resistant TB.

– Kiran R Gite.