Tuberculosis. What is tuberculosis?

caused by the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs.
There are two kinds of tuberculosis infection: latent and active. In latent TB, the TB bacteria remain in the body in an inactive state. They cause no symptoms and are not contagious, but they can become active. In active TB, the bacteria do symptoms and can be transmitted to others.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it’s one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, killing 1.7 million people in 2016.

another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.
In most forms of the disease, the bacillus spreads slowly and widely in the lungs, causing the formation of hard tubercles or large cheeselike masses that break down the respiratory tissues and form cavities in the lungs. Blood vessels also can be eroded by the advancing disease, causing the infected person to cough up bright red blood.

will vary depending on which organ is infected. For example, tuberculosis of the kidneys can cause you to urinate blood.

deaths related to TB cases occur in low- and middle-income countries.
People who use tobacco or misuse drugs or alcohol long term are more likely to get active TB, as are people diagnosed with HIV and other immune system issues. TB is the leading killer of people who are HIV-positive, according to WHO. Other risk factors for getting active TB disease include:
diabetes
end-stage kidney disease
malnourishment
certain cancers

a SKIN TEST where a small injection of PPD tuberculin, an extract of the TB bacterium, is made just below the inside forearm.
However, the test isn’t perfect. It has been know to give incorrect positive and negative readings.
There are other tests that are available to diagnose TB. BLOOD TESTs, CHEST X-RAYs and SPUTUM TESTs can all used to test for the presence of TB bacteria, and may be used alongside a skin test.

to take a combination of medications for 6 to 9 months. The full treatment course must be completed. Otherwise, it is highly likely a TB infection could come back. If TB does recur, it may be resistant to previous medications and be much more difficult to treat. A doctor may prescribe multiple medications because some TB strains are resistant to certain drug types.
All TB medication are toxic to the liver, so people taking TB medications should be aware of liver-injury symptoms, such as:
appetite loss
dark urine
fever lasting longer than three days
unexplained nausea or vomiting
jaundice, or yellowing of the skin
abdominal pain

the spread of active TB:
Avoiding other people by not going to school or work, or sleeping in the same room as someone, will help to minimize the risk of germs from reaching anyone else.
Wearing a mask, covering the mouth and ventilating rooms can also limit the spread of bacteria.