Tuberculosis is a severe bacterialinfection caused by a type of mycobacterium, Koch's wand. It is easily spread by airborne droplets, when someone who has a disease in an open form, coughs or sneezes. The disease affects the lungs, as well as other parts of the body. Anyone can become infected with tuberculosis, but more often it occurs in people with weakened immune systems or weakened health, in children, patients with HIV, and people living in cramped conditions where the disease can easily spread. Without proper treatment, this disease is fatal. A person with an active form of tuberculosis, infects from 10 to 15 people a year. Every year 9 million new cases of this disease are diagnosed all over the world.
Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis should includea physical examination, a chest x-ray, microbiological examinations (sputum or another appropriate sample). It may also include a tuberculin test, a surgical biopsy, and some other examination methods.
Medical checkup
It is conducted to assess the overall health statuspatient and the detection of factors that may affect the manifestation of a disease. Only with its help it is impossible to diagnose tuberculosis of the lungs.
Mantoux test
Tuberculin skin test, also known asMantoux test, helps to identify the majority of people infected with Koch's wand. The substance is a purified protein derivative (PPD), which is injected under the skin of the forearm and checked after 48-72 hours. If a red scar is formed around the injection site, a person may be infected, but not necessarily, so he needs additional diagnosis of tuberculosis.
Fluorography
Radiography is one of the most effective andcommon methods. In the lungs of a person with tuberculosis, many small vesicles appear, which may indicate a possible disease. However, such anomalies can also occur in HIV-infected and other individuals with immunodeficiency. Nevertheless, the chest X-ray is used to rule out the possibility of the disease in a person with a positive reaction to the tuberculin test and in the absence of symptoms of the disease.
CT scan
In some cases, computed tomography (CT)and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have proven useful for visualizing lesions of tuberculosis, especially in the brain and spine. Computed tomography is therefore often used to detect extrapulmonary type of disease.
Microbiological studies
This is the most commonly used diagnosistuberculosis, which was developed in 1880 and remains virtually unchanged. With her help, you can diagnose only half of the patients examined and especially ineffective this diagnostic method is for children and patients with co-infection with HIV. Although it is often described as a simple technology, microscopy requires a high level of preparation and diligence.
Bronchoscopy
If there is no sputum, samples can be obtained with the help of a laryngeal smear and bronchoalveolar lavage.
Biopsy
Some cases require a sample that can not be provided by sputum or bronchoscopy. In these cases, a tissue biopsy of the suspected organ should be performed.
PCR
Diagnosis of tuberculosis by microbiologicalresearch does not guarantee a 100% result. This can only make PCR (polymerase chain reaction) - the newest method of investigation, which detects the pathogen on the basis of its gene information. This method helps to distinguish the wand Kosh from other mycobacteria.
In general, the whole complex of diagnostic measures is aimed at the timely detection of the disease, in order to prevent further spread of tuberculosis.
