Tuberculosis

Our Approach

If you have or suspect tuberculosis (TB) exposure or infection, Franciscan Health providers such as pulmonologists (lung specialists) or infectious disease doctors can help. Treatment often starts with your primary care provider.

How is TB treated?

Doctors use antibiotics to treat tuberculosis infections. Your doctor will carefully assess your condition to identify the strain of TB bacteria that caused the infection.

Doctors prescribe most TB antibiotics for six to nine months. Be aware, though, that many strains of TB are now resistant to drugs that were previously effective. Drug-resistant TB may require treatment with a combination of antibiotics for as long as 20 to 30 months.

If you have TB, it is important to continue taking antibiotics for as long as prescribed, even if you start to feel better. Completing the full course of antibiotics can prevent a more severe TB infection from coming back.

What is tuberculosis?

TB is a contagious lung infection caused by the bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It spreads by tiny droplets in the air when a person with an active infection coughs, sneezes, talks, sings or laughs.

Untreated TB infections can spread to other parts of your body, including the spine, joints, lining of your brain, liver, kidneys or heart. The infection may be active or latent in any one person at different times:

• Latent TB means the bacteria are inactive inside your body, so you don't have symptoms. Latent TB can become active years later. It's important to get medical treatment to stop the infection from spreading to other people. An estimated 2 billion people in the world may have latent TB.
• Active TB means the bacteria are active inside your body. With active tuberculosis, you have symptoms and are contagious.

How is TB diagnosed?

Your doctor diagnoses tuberculosis with:

• Physical exam
• Skin test
• Chest X-ray
• CT (computed tomography) scan
• Blood test
• Tests on mucus from your lungs

Who is likely to get TB?

About 10% of the U.S. population has latent TB, but it's more common in people born outside the U.S. Traveling to countries with high rates of tuberculosis may increase your risk for exposure.

People with weaker immune systems, such as those who have HIV/AIDs, are more likely to get TB infections. Others at higher risk include:

• Very young and very old people
• People with cancer, organ transplants, substance abuse or diabetes
• Workers and residents in health care or residential care facilities, such as nursing homes, prisons, immigration centers or shelters

TB symptoms

Symptoms of an active tuberculosis infection may include:

• Bad, persistent cough lasting more than two weeks
• Coughing up blood or mucus
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Muscular weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Fevers, chills, night sweats