The day World of tuberculosis It is celebrated on Monday (24) in reference to the date when German doctor Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the cause of the disease, Koch’s bacillus-which was baptized in his honor.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 10 million people are diagnosed with tuberculosis per year In the world. The disease is the main cause of infectious death on the planet even being prevenable and curable . In Brazil, the main risk factor is incarceration, as, according to a survey by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), tuberculosis rates are 26 times higher in people deprived of liberty.
The diagnosis of tuberculosis, however, can be hampered due to symptoms, which can be easily confused with other diseases: prolonged cough, fever, sweating and weight loss. The Ministry of Health’s guidance, for example, is that all people who have respiratory symptoms for three weeks or more are investigated for tuberculosis. The disease, however, will only cause cough if it is attacking the lung – in which case it is called pulmonary tuberculosis.
The accuracy of the diagnosis is therefore vital so that treatment is effective and the disease is not worse. The Ministry of Health lists the Fast Molecular Test for Tuberculosis (TRM-TB), known as bacilloscopy, as the main method, alongside bacteria culture and drug sensitivity test, which is crucial for prescribing correct medications. The doctor should also do a clinical analysis and ask for a patient’s chest radiography to complement the diagnosis.
Another method offered by the Unified Health System (SUS) is the interferon-gamma (IGRA) release test, especially in people living with HIV, children contacts of active tuberculosis and people candidates for stem cell transplantation. Its advantage, according to the Ministry of Health, is that this method does not require the patient to return to SUS contact to confirm the result.
“IGRA test has a quick and safe diagnosis, with the accuracy of laboratory tests, and does not require a clinical analysis of the patient after its performance, as was once done with the tuberculinic test, the old PPD. This new exam is essential to reduce false negative margins, which used to happen more often among people who live with HIV,” explains Raphael Oliveira, Latam Marketing Manager for diagnosis Qiagen molecular, test manufacturer.
“From a positive result, the person is already directed to treatment, which can be done by SUS himself, with variable medications and duration, compatible with the phase and severity in which the disease was diagnosed.”
See also: Poor countries will receive generic remedy against tuberculosis
Tuberculosis: incarceration is a risk factor in Latin America
This content was originally published on World Tuberculosis Day: Learn how the disease is diagnosed on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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