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Long Term Effects Of Tuberculosis: What You Need To Know

Untreated tuberculosis may result in several long-term complications, such as permanent lung damage. It's vital for the condition to be treated early to prevent the infection from traveling to other major organs or bodily systems.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. It's caused by the bacterium M. Tuberculosis. Without treatment, TB can cause several potentially life threatening complications, such as pneumonia.

Learn more about the long-term health complications caused by untreated TB, when you should speak with a doctor, and the treatment options available.

TB is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. However, the bacterium M. Tuberculosis can move from the lungs and through the lymphatic system to other parts of the body, such as the:

lymph nodes

brain

spine

bones

kidneys

skin

Inactive TB

Around 90% of TB cases are the inactive type. If you have inactive TB, you have the M. Tuberculosis bacterium in your body, but you do not have active TB disease. This means that you do not experience any TB symptoms and are unable to pass the infection to others.

However, you may develop active TB at any time and become unwell. Usually, this happens if your immune system is weakened for some reason.

Active TB

Around 10% of people with inactive TB go on to develop the active type. If you have active TB, it means that your immune system cannot keep the M. Tuberculosis bacteria in check, and the bacteria are multiplying in your body. In this case, you'll experience TB symptoms and are capable of passing the infection to others.

The symptoms of active TB are usually mild at first but tend to worsen over time. They include:

If you have active TB, the bacteria can also spread to other organs or systems in your body, causing additional symptoms. For example, the bacteria can spread to the bones, causing bone pain.

Without treatment, active TB can be fatal.

According to a 2023 research review, complications from active TB are common. Complications were more likely when the person had not taken their medications correctly or had not completed the full course of antibiotic treatment.

Possible complications include:

Hemoptysis: This means coughing up blood from the lungs.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): This is a lung disease that can make it hard to breathe.

Empyema: This is a collection of pus in the pleural space, which is the area between the lung and its surrounding membrane (pleura).

Pneumothorax: This is a collection of air between the lung and the chest wall, which causes the lung to collapse.

Bronchiectasis: Bronchiectasis is a chronic condition in which the walls of the airways widen and thicken due to infection and inflammation.

Fibrothorax: Fibrothorax is a type of severe scarring or "fibrosis" within the pleural space, which can impair movement of the ribcage and affect breathing.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): This happens when there's a buildup of fluid within the tiny air sacs of the lungs, which prevents the lungs from filling properly with air. It may also cause the lungs to scar and stiffen. The main signs and symptoms are breathing difficulties and low blood oxygen levels.

Disseminated TB infection: This is a disease process in which the M. Tuberculosis bacteria enters other parts of the body, causing infection outside of the lungs. An example is tubercular meningitis, which affects the brain.

In cases of inactive TB, the M. Tuberculosis bacteria can lie dormant for many years or even decades before causing active disease.

In cases of active TB, the disease requires immediate treatment over several months. A 2023 research review added that between 2% and 12% of people who complete the treatment will experience a recurrence of the disease, usually within the first year. In most cases, this happens when a person does not take their medications properly or contracts M. Tuberculosis again.

Tuberculosis is a potentially curable disease, though treatment depends on the type of TB. Below are the different types and their associated treatment options.

Inactive TB

If you have inactive TB, a doctor will typically prescribe antibiotic medications to kill the M. Tuberculosis bacteria, which prevents the disease from becoming active.

The most common preventive therapy is the antibiotic rifampin (Rifadin), which is available as a pill that you take once per day for 4 months.

Active TB

If you have active TB, a doctor will likely prescribe a combination of antibiotic medications to help treat the infection. You'll usually have to take these medications for at least 6 months.

Most people will receive preventive therapy in combination with the following three antibiotics:

You may begin to feel better within weeks of starting the treatment, but it's important that you continue taking the medication as the doctor prescribes and for the specified duration.

Not completing the treatment can increase your risk of developing drug-resistant TB, which is when the drugs prescribed to treat TB no longer work in your body.

You should speak with a doctor immediately if you think you are experiencing symptoms of TB and if:

you have recently come into contact with someone who has TB

you've lived in or visited a part of the world where TB is prevalent, such as:

Asia

Africa

Eastern Europe

Central or South America

you've received a diagnosis of inactive TB

you've had active TB in the past

you have a weakened immune system

You should also speak with a doctor if you're taking treatment for TB but experience persistent or worsening symptoms. These may be signs that the treatment is not working effectively and that an alternative option may be needed.

What is the life expectancy of TB?

A 2020 study found that active TB could reduce life expectancy by an average of 7 years.

How can TB impact your life?

TB can impact your life in several ways, such as affecting your physical and mental health. It can also lead to stigma, which can affect social life, work, and school.

Is TB curable?

Yes, TB is curable when diagnosed and treated early. TB is typically treated with daily antibiotics taken over several months.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium M. Tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs but may also affect other parts of the body.

You should speak with a doctor if you're concerned about possible TB symptoms, especially if you have risk factors for TB or you have had the disease previously. Without treatment, the condition can cause serious and potentially life threatening complications.

Tuberculosis Treatment - News-Medical.net

Tuberculosis is a treatable and curable infection. Treatment for tuberculosis depends on the type of tuberculosis and a long course of antibiotics are prescribed. In most cases admission to the hospital is not necessary. As earlier believed, isolation also is not practiced widely these days.

Antibiotics - First line drugs

Isoniazid is one of the most effective agents. It has the capability to penetrate the tubercular lesions. Rifampicin has good tissue penetration and like Isoniazid is also excreted by kidneys and both are metabolized or broken down by the liver. Both Isoniazid and Rifampicin may cause liver damage. Pyrazimamide acts on slow growing and semi-dormant bacilli that lie within the cells. Ethambutol also slowly inhibits mycobacterial growth.

Antibiotics - Second-line drugs

These are drugs that are used in resistance to and inefficacy of the first line agents. Drugs include amikacin, capreomycin, cycloserine, azithromycin, clarithromycin, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin etc. Streptomycin is now rarely used in the UK.

Pulmonary tuberculosis

Those with active tuberculosis need long term treatment to prevent spread and recurrence and ensure complete cure. The team involved in treating such patients includes:

a respiratory physician who specialises in conditions that affect the lungs

an infectious disease specialist or an internal medicine specialist

a tuberculosis nurse

a diet advisor

a health visitor who is a qualified nurse with extra training in tuberculosis management

a social care support worker who serves a point of contact between the patient and the rest of the team

Pulmonary tuberculosis is usually treated with a six-month course of a combination of antibiotics. The usual course of treatment is two antibiotics isoniazid and rifampicin daily for six months or a course with two additional antibiotics pyrazinamide and ethambutol daily for two months followed by a course of isoniazid and rifampicin daily for four months. The initial phase of two months with four drugs is called the intensive phase.

After the initial two weeks of treatment most people are no longer infectious and symptoms begin to recede. However, it is important to continue taking the medications and to complete the whole course of antibiotics to prevent recurrence. If the treatment is not completed and is adequate there is a risk of a recurrence when the usual treatments may not function as well as before.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis

This type of tuberculosis occurs outside the lungs and is usually treated with the same combination of antibiotics as those used to treat pulmonary TB. The duration may be longer however extending up to 12 months.

Those with tuberculosis affecting the brain are given corticosteroids like prednisolone in addition to reduce any swelling in the affected areas.

Latent tuberculosis

Treatment for latent TB is usually recommended for those under 35 years of age, those with HIV infection, healthcare workers of any age and those with evidence of tubercular lesions on chest X rays. Treatment for latent TB involves either taking a combination of rifampicin and isoniazid for three months, or isoniazid alone for six months.

Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis

Those with tuberculosis caused by strains that are resistant to anti-tubercular drugs used commonly are termed to have anti-biotic resistant tuberculosis. Tuberculosis with resistance to one type of antibiotic is not usually a concern since it may be replaced by other antibiotics.

However, those who develop a resistance to two antibiotics are said to have multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and those with tuberculosis that has a resistance to three or more antibiotics are said to have extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

In 2011, almost 2 out of every 100 TB cases were resistant to at least two antibiotics. These are difficult to treat conditions. Both MDR-TB and XDR-TB will usually require treatment for at least 18 months using several combinations of antibiotics that are effective against tuberculosis.

Sources

http://www.Nhs.Uk/Conditions/Tuberculosis/Pages/Treatment.Aspx

https://www.Bbc.Com/

https://www.Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.Gov/

https://www.Who.Int/

http://www.Cdc.Gov/tb/education/corecurr/pdf/chapter2.Pdf

https://www.Nice.Org.Uk/

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2023

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