World Tuberculosis Day丨It is the second largest infectious killer in the world!

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has struck again. As a Class B infectious disease, COVID-19 has been regarded as a scourge for more than two years. From the discovery of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 to date (as of 10:00 am on March 23, 2022), my country has confirmed 438,647 cases and 11,855 deaths.

Tuberculosis is also a Class B infectious disease that mainly attacks the lungs and has similar initial symptoms to COVID-19. In 2020 alone, there were 842,000 new cases and 30,000 deaths. [1]

Judging from the numbers, the morbidity and mortality rates of tuberculosis are much higher than those of COVID-19, but why has it always been out of the public's attention?

The reasons are, first of all, the new coronavirus is a sudden new virus that is constantly mutating and has a high degree of uncertainty; whereas tuberculosis, although highly contagious and causing great social harm, has affected humans for thousands of years and is now preventable and treatable, so people have long been accustomed to it, and many people do not even know about the existence of the disease and therefore do not panic.

But as early as 2,000 years ago, tuberculosis was rampant, and the extent of the harm to the area and the number of people is still amazing. It was not until the 1880s that humans discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the transmission route was determined in the 1990s. In the 20th century, the invention of BCG and the advent of anti-tuberculosis drugs allowed the "white plague" that swept the world to be contained.

"As there are fewer and fewer tuberculosis patients around people, their understanding of tuberculosis becomes more and more vague." He Xiaoxin, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the incidence of tuberculosis has dropped a lot compared with the past, but it is still high in the country. It still exists on a large scale among the population and can easily cause clustered epidemics.

It is worth noting and reflecting on that the current public awareness of tuberculosis is far from enough to fight or eliminate the disease, which also leads to more than 800,000 patients suffering from this preventable and treatable disease every year.

"Only by raising public awareness, taking effective infection prevention measures, and providing treatment and management for patients can we effectively prevent and control tuberculosis," said He Xiaoxin.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infecting the human lungs. It is the most common type of tuberculosis, accounting for more than 80% of the total number of tuberculosis in all organs.

Cough, sputum and hemoptysis are common symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis

The cough is mild in the early stage, with only a dry cough or a small amount of sticky sputum. In the later stage, the cough may become more severe, with increased sputum volume, purulent sputum, and blood in the sputum. In severe cases, severe hemoptysis may occur.

If you have a cough and sputum for more than 2 weeks or if there is blood in the sputum, you should suspect pulmonary tuberculosis and go to a designated medical institution for tuberculosis for examination.

Chest pain

The stabbing pain in the chest wall may worsen with breathing or coughing. Some patients describe it as "feeling like there is broken glass in the chest, every breath hurts, and every hiccup makes me cry in pain."

Low-grade fever

Generally, the body temperature rises to 37.4℃~38℃ in the afternoon or evening, and subsides in the early morning or the next day, lasting for more than 2 weeks.

However, there are also a small number of tuberculosis patients who have no symptoms or mild symptoms and are unable to detect it themselves. "Most of these patients are discovered through physical examinations. Therefore, it is recommended that the public pay attention to chest X-ray examinations during physical examinations. This is a very important means of detecting early tuberculosis." He Xiaoxin added.

According to statistics, an untreated tuberculosis patient will infect 10 to 15 people within a year, and the infected people have a 10% chance of developing the disease in their lifetime.

What should you do if you find out that someone around you has tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis prevention and control expert He Xiaoxin suggested “one check, two preventions, three treatments”.

Check

That is, screen yourself for tuberculosis infection and receive targeted treatment;

Second defense

That is, take corresponding measures to prevent infection, such as keeping a distance from patients, reducing close contact, wearing masks, and frequent ventilation;

Sanzhi

Because the treatment cycle for tuberculosis is very long, generally 6 to 8 months, as the patient's relatives and friends, you must supervise the patient to take medication regularly to ensure cure.

In addition, if you belong to a susceptible group, that is, HIV carriers, pneumoconiosis patients, gastrectomy patients, malnourished people, people with impaired immune systems such as diabetes, or smokers, you need to follow the above steps to avoid infection.

The excessively long treatment period, coupled with the fact that anti-tuberculosis drugs are chemical drugs, may cause corresponding adverse reactions, such as abdominal distension, diarrhea, constipation, liver and kidney damage, jaundice, rash, etc., making it difficult for many patients to take medication regularly.

But take a look at how serious the consequences of developing drug-resistant TB due to irregular and effective medication:

✅Compared to the more than 90% cure rate of common pulmonary tuberculosis, drug-resistant tuberculosis is a serious disease with a low cure rate.

✅The treatment time is as long as 2 years, which is 3 to 4 times that of ordinary pulmonary tuberculosis.

✅The cost of treatment has skyrocketed and is 100 times that of ordinary tuberculosis.

✅The disease course is long and the chance of infecting others is greater.

✅Once the infected person develops the disease, it will be drug-resistant tuberculosis.

"We will implement patient medication management in community hospitals, and community hospital staff will make regular phone calls or home visits. We will also incorporate some Internet methods, such as electronic medicine boxes, WeChat mini-programs, and other methods." He Xiaoxin said that only if family members cooperate in supervising patients' medication can they help patients cure tuberculosis better and more effectively.

Nowadays, tuberculosis is preventable and treatable. There is no need to panic when facing pulmonary tuberculosis, but don't be careless. If you or someone around you shows corresponding symptoms, you must immediately go to a designated tuberculosis medical institution for examination, and take measures to protect your relatives and friends.

The most important thing is that once the diagnosis is confirmed, you must follow the doctor's advice and take medication regularly until you are cured!

References:

China CDC: The important "2021 Global Tuberculosis Report" is released - authoritative interpretation of key data in the report. 2021.10.19.

Source: Doctor Youlai