Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that also occurs in Germany.
Find out here how people can become infected and which treatment works.
Thanks to good care and hygiene, tuberculosis (TB for short) has become rare in Germany.
But even in this country there are around 6,000 reported cases of the bacterial infectious disease every year.
Tuberculosis is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide, as the patient information service of the Medical Center for Quality in Medicine (ÄZQ) provides on behalf of the German Medical Association and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
Annually, over 10 million people would be infected and over a million people die as a result.
The disease can be treated well with antibiotics.
A tuberculosis recognized in good time and treated correctly usually heals without consequences, according to the portal Infektionsschutz.de.
As the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) informs, the therapy usually lasts six months.
Isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP), ethambutol (EMB), pyrazinamide (PZA) and streptomycin (SM) are standard drugs in the treatment of tuberculosis.
In addition, according to the RKI, there are so-called secondary or reserve drugs that
are used for resistance * or intolerance.
Ways of infection of tuberculosis
TB can break out as a result of infection with bacteria.
Tuberculosis bacteria (mycobacteria, which
belong
to the so-called
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex) predominantly infect the lungs and can spread via droplet infection - that is, they get into the air via sneezing, coughing or speaking and from there penetrate other people's airways.
But the notifiable infectious disease does not have to break out even after contact with a person suffering from tuberculosis.
An intact immune system makes the pathogens harmless in many cases,
as reported by the patient information portal.
If the immune system is weakened, the bacteria would spread in the body, including in lymph nodes, bones, urinary tract or meninges.
But the disease only breaks out in about one in ten people infected.
Symptoms of tuberculosis
The insidious thing about tuberculosis: The disease is usually associated with ambiguous symptoms at the beginning.
These include:
Cough for weeks, occasionally with bloody sputum and pain when breathing
unwanted weight loss
Loss of appetite
fatigue
Exhaustion
fever
Night sweats
In most cases, the tuberculosis bacteria affect the lungs.
But other organs can also be damaged if the bacteria spread through the body via blood or lymph.
Tubercular
meningitis
occurs very rarely
.
Prevent tuberculosis
In general, infectious diseases caused by viruses or bacteria can be prevented by simple hygiene measures such as washing your hands, sneezing into the crook of your arm instead of the palm of your hand or wearing face masks *.
Coughs that last longer than three weeks should always be evaluated by a doctor.
Bloody sputum is a sign that you should consult a doctor immediately
.
(jg) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
More sources: https://www.lungenaerzte-im-netz.de/krankheiten/tuberkulose/;
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Merkblaetter/Ratgeber_Tuberkulose.html;
https://www.infektionsschutz.de/erregersteckbriefe/tuberkulose.html#c1177
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