Surgery Notes

Dr. Miguel Santin, a member of the infectious disease service at the Hospital de Bellvitge in Barcelona and a member of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, we expanded the information about the incidence of tuberculosis in our society today.
Tuberculosis and its eradication false
Tuberculosis has been eradicated in no time in history, in fact, as stated by Dr. Santin, has always been present. What has happened is that its incidence has been declining, thanks in large part to the development of drugs that have managed to cure the infected patients. As we noted, was once mortal and that there were no antibiotics to fight infection, and in cases where the patient survived, the consequences were of great importance. The first effective medical treatment that there was a drug that was first used in 1948, a drug that opened the door to new treatments which, thankfully, calmed the incidence of tuberculosis.
Increased Tuberculosis infected
To date there has been a trend of increase in diagnosed cases of tuberculosis, a finding that contrasts with what had happened in recent decades. Until recently it was detected TB cases diagnosed per year down little by little, and what happens now is that this trend is slowing and that in certain areas there are more infections.
TB disease of the poorest.
Tuberculosis is a disease that affects the most disadvantaged. So the immigrant population incidence rates than the indigenous people of our country. In fact, 50% of new cases diagnosed are in people originating from outside our country.
Contagious disease
Tuberculosis is a contagious disease, but a lot depends on the clinical form of its submission. The most contagious form is one in which the infected person coughing or speaking is able to drive many bacilli. That is why individual protection measures in health care, so that medical staff should attend the sick from getting TB as well.
The Stigmatization of people with Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a disease that has served to stigmatize the person suffering, especially in the past. Do not forget that today it is a disease that is cured. The bacteria that cause it has little durability, making it very difficult to spread from one another if not by direct contact. In fact has a lower degree of infectivity that may have the flu.
Symptoms
The symptomatology that presents a person with TB can be quite varied. A common case would be to a person with some respiratory symptoms and maintained over time that do not improve, a person who is coughing for more than three weeks, you have lost your appetite, you have feeling tired, and dragging this trouble from days ago. The chest radiograph is the test that confirms the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The patient also can be well and overnight coughing and spitting blood drive. That would certainly be a sign of alarm.
Tuberculosis Cure
Tuberculosis as an infectious disease that is curable with antibiotics. But has a special treatment and that requires three or four drugs in combination to get to kill the bacteria that causes the disease. In addition, we talk about a long-term treatment because the guidelines set today do not lower the time needed for healing at 6 months. If the taking of antibiotics are done properly and indications of antibiotics follow well, patients should be cured in most cases. But you can also find cases in which bacteria resist antibiotics. In this situation will require individualized treatment and marked by professionals who know the disease. One of the problems that arise in this regard is the high rate of discontinuation. The noticeable improvement during the first weeks of treatment, patients tend to stop taking it, something that will prevent complete healing.
Hospital admissions for Tuberculosis
The truth is that it tries to be hospitalized at least when there is a spread of tuberculosis. The remaining patients in hospital are people with very low defenses and risks of infection are highest. The patient who is admitted is because his tuberculosis in a patient makes a serious clinical situation, and so requires constant vigilance. People are coughing up blood should be a few days in the hospital until it is established that his life not in danger. Specific units for people with tuberculosis there is evidence of professional specialists are needed in this disease.