Being Alive; June 1997

tb (Tuberculosis) is a disease caused by a bacterium (germ) that is spread through the air, usually when a person who has the disease coughs or sneezes. Anyone can become infected with tb bacteria, but people with hiv/aids are at greater risk of getting sick with tb disease. Although tb can occur any place in the body, only tb disease in the lungs (pulmonary tb) or throat is contagious. tb can occur at any T-cell range, above or below 200 T-cells.

What is the Difference between TB Infection and TB Disease?

tb infection (latent tb) means that tb bacteria have gotten inside your body. People who are infected with tb usually have no symptoms and most do not become ill. They are not contagious.

tb disease (active tb) means that the tb bacteria have become active in your body and will make you sick. Only people with active tb disease can spread tb to others. tb disease can be prevented or cured, but if left untreated, it can be fatal.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of TB Disease?

General symptoms of tb disease in the lungs or throat include fever, night sweats, weight loss and fatigue. Pulmonary tb causes a persistent cough and sometimes bloody sputum (phlegm). tb disease can occur with other infections, especially Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC).

How Can a Doctor Tell if I Have TB?

To diagnose tb infection, your healthcare provider will give you a special skin test, called a PPD, which causes a bump to appear within several days if you are infected. A positive test means you have tb infection. To determine if you have active tb disease, a chest x-ray and sputum culture need to be done. If you have hiv/aids, the PPD test might not work.

Can TB Be Prevented?

Isoniazid, also called INH, is an antibiotic pill approved for prevention of tb disease. It is taken for at least one year. People with both hiv/aids and tb infection have a 10% risk per year of developing active tb disease. Your doctor should monitor you monthly for side effects of INH. If you are infected and cannot take medicine to prevent tb disease, it is very important to have regular check-ups and contact your doctor as soon as you start having signs of active tb disease. Remember, always cough or sneeze into tissues and ask others to do the same.

Can TB Be Treated?

tb disease can be treated and cured with medication. tb treatment starts with at least four drugs, but the number of drugs may be reduced after two months. People with hiv/aids have to take the drugs for a longer time than other people. It is important to take all your medication until the doctor says that the tb has been cured. Skipping medication or stopping because you feel better might lead your tb to become contagious again; your tb might become harder to treat and you might get sicker.

What is MDR-TB?

MDR-TB (Multiple Drug Resistant tuberculosis) is tb that is resistant to at least two of the standard drugs used to treat tb (INH and Rifampin). Your tb can become resistant if you are not treated long enough, do not receive the right drugs or if you take your medication improperly. You can also become infected with MDR-TB directly. Since MDR-TB frequently causes death within a few weeks in people with hiv/aids, preventive treatment of suspected MDR infections is highly recommended. Treatment of MDR-TB disease requires the use of five or six drugs that vary according to the drug resistance pattern in your geographical area.

This information is reprinted from a GMHC Fact Sheet. For other Fact Sheets or more information contact Gay Men's Health Crisis, 129 W. 20th St., New York, NY 10011 or call 212.337.3530.

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