QUESTION: In my day Christmas Stamps supported the Tuberculosis Foundation, and there were always x-ray vans around for free x-rays to locate the disease. The fact that they are no longer with us tells me that tuberculosis has been wiped out like polio.
Help me win a bet by telling me I'm right?
ANSWER: I hope your wager was a small one, for tuberculosis (TB) is still with us, and after many years of fewer and fewer cases, the numbers have suddenly begun to increase again, with a total of 22,575 cases reported in 1985.
And according to at least one expert, it may be more difficult to diagnose these days, as the symptoms are less dramatic than before. Classically, a patient would suffer from a history of cough and would produce sputum, frequently blood stained.
There was also the complaint of weakness, fever, loss of appetite and weight loss, and night sweats.
But TB may occur in adults today with few or no lung symptoms at all, and the typical picture of the disease may first be diagnosed on x-ray picture of the chest, possibly taken for totally other reasons.
But even x-rays can be deceiving, and physicians rely on other diagnostic procedures, such as skin tests, and microscopic examination of the sputum to locate the bacteria.
Cultures and immunological tests help round out the array of diagnostic techniques.
The good news is that the treatment of tuberculosis, which in the past could prolong for as much as 12 to 18 months, may now be accomplished in as little as 6 to 9 months.
Several potent antibiotics are available, including isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, streptomycin and ethambutol.
Various protocols exist, using two or three drugs simultaneously to assure the cure of this infection.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
