What Types of Lung Disease Are There?

Tuberculosis Infections On The Rise In America

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease that damages the lungs (and sometimes other parts of the body) with toxic bacteria.

Individuals who come down with TB commonly experience symptoms like bloody coughing episodes, fevers, weight loss, and even night sweats. They may also lose their appetite for food, feel tired during waking hours, and incur swelling that lasts for weeks on end.

Antibiotics are the best form of treatment for TB; they can halt the growth of harmful bacteria, thus preventing it from targeting a person's lungs. People who do end up taking this medication may need to remain on it for up to six months before they're fully free of tuberculosis.

For years, this disease was largely viewed as a thing of the past. Though the CDC just revealed that TB is making an unfortunate comeback.

Why we're seeing more tuberculosis cases

Between 2022 and 2023, a 16% climb in TB happened across the United States, following a three-decade decline in cases. Medical officials believe this new surge is at least partially due to the disruptions caused by COVID.

Gabrielle Seunagal is a full-time freelance writer and voice actor, working with USA Herald since June 2017. She is passionate about fitness, travel, and combating human rights abuses like human trafficking and child marriage.

One In Four People With TB Show No Symptoms Says Bombshell Study – All You Need To Know

Shocking new research from Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC), also found that 80 per cent of patients with TB do not have a persistent cough

The disease is on the rise in the UK but the primary symptoms doctors use to identify TB may be wrong, a new study suggests (

Image: Getty Images)

A study has found more than a quarter of people who have pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) do not report any symptoms at all.

Shocking new research from Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC), also found that 80 per cent of patients with TB do not have a persistent cough. This is one of the key symptoms doctors use to identify the illness but now medics are being urged to rethink how they diagnose TB.

Typical symptoms of the infection, which usually affects the lungs, can include a cough that lasts for more than three weeks, feelings of tiredness or exhaustion, high temperature or night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss and feeling generally unwell. The Victorian disease, which is spread when infectious people cough, sneeze or spit, is currently making a comeback in the UK. Almost 1,000 cases have been diagnosed in England and Wales so far this year.

Latest figures show in the first 10 weeks of this year, the UKHSA has received notifications of 919 suspected cases of TB in England, up from 878 during the same period of 2023. Another 14 suspected cases have been seen this year in Wales - up from 12 in the first 10 weeks of last year.

Globally TB is the most deadly infectious disease after Covid, according to data from the World Health Organisation (

Image:

Stoke Sentinel)

The results of the new study why the rates of TB are "hardly declining" globally, despite massive efforts to treat the disease in Africa and Asia, explained Frank Cobelens, professor of Global Health at Amsterdam UMC. "A persistent cough is often the entry point for a diagnosis, but if 80 per cent of those with TB don't have one, then it means that a diagnosis will happen later, possibly after the infection has already been transmitted to many others, or not at all," he said.

TB can be fatal if left untreated but if caught in time a course of antibiotics is usually enough to cure it. Globally the highest rates are in Africa and Asia - an estimated 10.6 million people across the world contract TB but only around 7.5 million of those cases are registered with doctors. The disease killed 1.3mn people in 2022, according to the World Health Organisation, more than HIV and AIDS.

Researchers looked at data on 602,863 people in Africa and Asia between 2007 and 2020 - 1,944 had tuberculosis. The study found that 82.8 per cent reported no persistent cough and 68.7 per cent had no cough at all while 27.7 per cent displayed no symptoms at all. Women were more likely than men to have TB but without any cough.

"When we take all of these factors into account, it becomes clear that we need to really rethink large aspects of how we identify people with TB," professor Cobelens said. "It's clear that current practice, especially in the most resource-poor settings will miss large numbers of patients with TB. We should instead focus on X-ray screening and the development of new inexpensive and easy-to-use tests".

Tuberculosis Symptoms: Etu M Si Rịa ọrịa ụkwaranta Afọ Iri Na Anọ Na-achọpụtaghị - Janet

Ngwaọrụ gị akwadoghi ọkpụkpọ mgbasa ozi

Aha onyonyo,

Tuberculosisi symptoms: Etu m si rịa ọrịa ụkwaranta afọ iri na anọ na-achọpụtaghị - Janet

Tuberculosis symptoms: Etu m si rịa ọrịa ụkwaranta afọ iri na anọ na-achọpụtaghị - Janet

Ebe akụkọ a si

Onye dere ya, Chimezie Ucheagbo, Okechukwu Omeire & Chigozie Ohaka

Ndị mere akụkọ a, Senior Journalist, Video Journalist & Producer

Ebeg o si Lagos

28 Maachị 2024

Dịka mbaụwa weere ubochị 24 nke ọnwa Maachị afọ ọbụla echeta ọrịa ụkwaranta, Janet Iyiola so na ụfọdụ ndị ji ọṅụ echeta ya bụ ụbọchị.

Janet dara ọrịa a gbagwojuru ya anya n'afọ 2009, ọ gara ụlọọgwụ ma gakwaa ebe ndị ọzọ mana ọ chọpụtaghi ihe na-arịa maọbụ nwete ọgwụgwụ.

Ọrịa a mere ka Janet daa ngwọrọ ma na-enwe ihe mgbu n'ụkwụ nakwa n'ukwu ya.

Ọnọdụ Janet bidoro ịgbanwe mgbe ọ nụrụ ozi n'igwe redio nke na-akọwa njirimara dị iche iche e ji maara ọrịa ụkwaranta a kpọrọ 'tuberculosis' na bekee.

Ọ kpotụụrụ ụlọọrụ na-agbasa ya bụ ozi ma kọọrọ ha etu ahụ si eme ya. Ha gwara ya bịa n'ụlọọgwụ ka ha nyochaa ya ahụ.

Mgbe ọ gara, ha nyochara ya ahụ ma chọpụta na ọ bụ ọrịa ụkwaranta nke na-emetụta ọkpụkpụ azụ ka ọ na-arịa.

Ha bidoro inye ya ọgwụ na-atufughi oge. Dịka otu afọ gachara, Janet agbakewala nke bụ na ọ malitela ịga ije ugbua ma na-emekwa ihe ndị dị iche iche dịka isi nri na ihe ndị ọzọ nke ọrịa a ekweghi ya mee na mbụ.

Onye ọrụ ahụike na-enye Janet ọgwụ bụ Ajayi Oluyinka gwara ndị mmadụ ka ha ejile ọrịa ụkwaranta egwu egwuregwu n'ihi na o nwere ike igbu mmadụ.

Ọ gara n'ihu kwuo na onye nwere njirimaara ọrịa ụkwaranta n'ahụ, biko gbapụ ọsọ gaa n'ụlọọgwụ mee nyocha ma nata ọgwụgwụ.

Kirie ihe a ka ị nụ akụkọ a n'uju;

Isiokwu ndị emetụtara

Ihe ndị ọzọ n'akụkọ a

---