RISK FACTORS for falling sick with TB

1.    HIV co-infection increases risk of developing TB.

2.    DIABETES Mellitus too makes a person more vulnerable to develop TB, once infected.

3.    Generally LOW IMMUNITY in a person makes him more prone. Body immunity may fall because of any reasons – including some of the following.

4.    UNDER-NOURISHMENT, homelessness, poverty.

5.    ALCOHOLISM.

6.    DRUG ADDICTION.

7.    Prolonged medication with STEROIDS (which are usually administered in chronic asthma, skin disorders or long standing joint pains etc.).

8.    Prolonged use of IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE DRUGS (as commonly given after organ transplant etc.).

9.    FAMILY HISTORY OF TB: Someone very close – like a family member, suffered from sputum positive (infective) lung TB in the past.

10.    ‘TO BE BORN IN THE THIRD WORLD’ - could we consider it a risk factor?

♦ If you are born or reside in a high-burden-country (like India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh or some poor African nation etc.), your life-time chances of being exposed to an infective patient and getting infected remain comparatively high because of the large pool of TB patients therein.

♦ Infective patients may virtually be stalking you everywhere – in every crowded street, market, office, village and neighborhood.

♦ A sputum positive case, if left untreated, could infect up to 10 healthy persons in a year.

♦ One third of the globe’s population of 6 billion is believed infected with TB germ.

♦ Most of the ‘infected 2 billion’ human beings reside in the third world.

♦ That’s why, 95% of the cases and 98% of TB deaths occur in the third world.

♦ Therefore, in the third world, all high-risk individuals (HIV infected, Diabetics, undernourished etc.) must remain especially vigilant and forewarned if ever “an illness of long duration with weight loss” should start to occur in them.

♦ A third world citizen must learn to maintain a high index of suspicion in his mind, which may prove the key to early diagnosis.

♦ And don’t worry; over-suspecting doesn’t hurt; simple tests will easily rule out TB if that is the case.

♦ OBVIOUSLY, TO BE INFECTED WITH GERM IS A PRE-CONDITION FOR FALLING SICK WITH TB.

♦ You simply can’t be driving around without first obtaining a driving license

♦ Similarly, you can’t fall sick with TB without first inhaling the germs and getting infected.

♦ Further, not everyone who has a license and drives around meets with an accident – only a fraction of drivers meet that tragic fate.

♦ Similarly, not every one infected ends up falling sick with TB.

♦ Only about 10% of the infections result in disease.

♦ Fortunately, 90% of the infected individuals lead a normal healthy life, blissfully unaware. They never fall sick.

♦ Since you can’t predict as to which driver will fall prey to an accident and which one wont, every two-wheeler driver is required to wear a helmet – just in case.

♦ Similarly, which infected individual will eventually fall sick is not known. Nor, in the first place, who is infected and who is not.

♦ So, every one must protect himself – with minimal knowledge.

♦ Smart thing for every third world citizen is to remain aware, vigilant and on guard.

An Illness of Long Duration + Weight Loss = Suspect TB and Investigate.

No Awareness = No Suspicion = No rush to seek opinion of a Proper Doctor = No Investigation = No Diagnosis = No Treatment = No Cure.

Know TB – No TB.

DEVELOPED WESTERN NATIONS:

TB is quite uncommon in affluent Western countries – like USA, Canada, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland etc.

Since total number of TB patients is extremely low, there are hardly any infective cases – the source of infection.

Chances of an ordinary citizen ever being infected remain pretty low.

Majority of those who develop TB in the West are possibly immigrants from the poor world who were already infected at the time of entry several years ago. They had probably carried dormant TB germs from their native lands. TB bacillus is known to be quite clever and resilient. It often sleeps silently for years in an infected host without bothering him at all and then suddenly re-activate, heralding clinical tuberculosis