INVC,,
Delhi,,
Heart Care Foundation of India today released messages on TB on the coming World TB day. Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee and President, Heart Care Foundation of India said that TB is curable provided one knows the formula of 3 ( do not ignore cough of more than 3 weeks and get 3 sputum TB test done)
India has the largest number of tuberculosis cases in the world.
Tuberculosis is a curable disease.
For complete recovery, full and adequate treatment of tuberculosis is important.
Most tuberculosis drugs are safe and have minimal side effects.
A minimum six months of treatment is required for a patient with tuberculosis.
DOTS is an effective way of controlling tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is caused by bacilli spread through droplet infections.
Tuberculosis patients should dispose their sputum by burning, burying it in the soil or disinfecting them with a disinfectant.
All cases of tuberculosis are not contagious. Only sputum positive TB patients are infectious to others.
Even contagious tuberculosis can become non-infectious within one week of effective treatment.
Tuberculosis can be of lungs (pulmonary) or outside the lungs (extra pulmonary). In 85% of cases, lungs are involved.
In tuberculosis of the lung, often an X-ray chest is the first investigation to be asked.
Tuberculosis can infect people of any age or sex.
Do not ignore a cough of more than two weeks.
Every cough with or without sputum is not TB.
Blood in sputum may be an indication of tuberculosis.
Even in pregnancy, tuberculosis requires full treatment.
Diagnostic tests for tuberculosis are available free of cost by the Govt.
· Tuberculosis treatment is available free by Govt. of India.
TB infection and TB disease are not the same.
90% of those infected may not develop TB in their life time.
10% of HIV positive patients will develop TB every year.
After 5 months of treatment if the patient has not responded, suspect a drug failure.
Relapse or re-infections can occur in a patient with TB.
TB drugs are often taken as single dose. Divided doses are not recommended.
Non-healing ulcer on the skin may be an indication of skin TB.
Drug resistant TB cases should be handled by a specialist.
Transient rise in liver enzyme reports are well-known in early weeks of TB treatment.
TB can occur any time in the course of HIV infection.
Doctors should not prescribe corticosteroids routinely in the treatment of TB.
TB can cause collection of water around the heart or around the lungs.
TB of the intestine is of a common occurrence in our country.
TB can be a common cause of infertility in women.
TB of the brain is the most life threatening of all forms of TB.
