What is tuberculosis, and what are its different types?

New Delhi: A contagious illness called tuberculosis can infect your lungs or other tissues. The organs most frequently affected by it are the lungs, but it can also harm your spine, brain, or kidneys. The Latin root of the word “tuberculosis” means “nodule” or “anything that stands out.”

A second name for tuberculosis is TB. That not everyone contracts TB becomes ill, but if you do, you need to get treated. If you have the bacterium but no symptoms, you have latent tuberculosis, also known as dormant tuberculosis (also called latent TB). Although it may appear that TB has disappeared, it is actually dormant (sleeping) inside your body. If you have active tuberculosis or tuberculosis disease, you are infected, experience symptoms, and are spreadable (TB disease).

These are the three stages of TB:

• First infection.
• Latent tuberculosis.
• Active tuberculosis.

Why does TB occur?

The bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for TB. The bacteria are airborne and typically affect the lungs, though they can also affect other body areas. TB is contagious, although it doesn’t spread quickly. In order to contract it, you typically need to be in close proximity to an infectious person for an extended period of time.

Do distinct strains of TB exist?

You may also hear about several forms of TB, such as the most prevalent, pulmonary (lung) tuberculosis, in addition to active or inactive TB. But in addition to your lungs, the bacterium can also harm other parts of your body, leading to extrapulmonary tuberculosis (or TB outside of the lung). Additionally, systemic miliary TB, which can affect the entire body and result in:

• Meningitis is a brain inflammation.
• High quantities of white blood cells in your urine are referred to as sterile pyuria.
• Spinal tuberculosis, often known as Pott’s disease or TB spondylitis.
• an adrenal gland disorder called Addison’s disease.
• The liver infection hepatitis.
• Neck lymphadenitis, often known as scrofula or TB lymphadenitis.