Tuberculosis The Killer Disease
Tuberculosis: The Killer Disease Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is an infectious disease that brought chaos for a time being around the world. An infectious disease is any disease caused by the entrance, growth and multiplication of bacteria or protozoan in the body; a germ disease. ... It was a disease that impacted society as a whole and left a mark through the ages. ... In industrialized nations during the late 20th century, TB has proved to be a challenging disease to fight as it had re-emerged several times. Nevertheless, Tuberculosis has led to the technical advancement of medicine and is a key to comprehending all infectious diseases. TB is primarily caused by a microorganism tubercle bacillus (mycobacterium tuberculosis) and usually attacks the lungs. ... Until an anti-tuberculosis drug was discovered about 50 years ago, this disease was the leading cause of death. Tuberculosis is also classified into different categories according to the symptoms exhibited. Class I is considered as tuberculosis exposure except there is no sign of infection yet. ... Lastly, class III confirms the active bacteria in tuberculosis. ... The body’s immune system attempts to fight the disease during this time period and most of the bacteria are walled in temporarily (mostly in the lungs) formed as fibrous capsules. ... In many cases, the disease never develops beyond this stage - and is referred to as TB infection. When left untreated, the disease then progresses into the next stage. ... The second stage of the disease revolves around the destruction of the tissues of the affected organ. When the lung is affected, it results in poor respiratory processes, associated with other symptoms; when other organs are affected, even if treated adequately, it may leave permanent, disabling scar tissue The early stages of tuberculosis may be free of symptoms but at times individuals may exhibit a flu-like illness.