Tag

TB

The Hello Doctor Team 0
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HIV / AIDS
January 23, 2019

Can HIV increase your risk for TB?

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading infectious killer. It’s also the number one cause of death among HIV-positive people. In 2015, over 10 million people across the globe had TB disease. Of these, about one million also lived with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). If you’re wondering why these two infections often go together, and what you can do to stay free of TB if you’re HIV-positive, read on. Why HIV increases your risk for TB HIV is a virus that destroys those cells in your body that help to fight germs and infections. These are called CD4 cells. When you…
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Chest & Lung
October 27, 2017

Pneumonia – what you need to know

Pneumonia is a lot more common than most people realise. It’s a serious illness, which can be life-threatening if the correct treatment isn’t given timeously. What is pneumonia? pneumonia is an infection of either one, or both, lungs when a person has pneumonia, the alveoli of the lungs become inflamed alveoli are tiny air sacs within the lungs, that allow for the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and the bloodstream What are the causes for pneumonia? Bacteria: the most common causes are: Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influensae, Moraxella catarrhalis, TB Viruses: the most common causes are: influenza A and…
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Chest & LungTuberculosis
August 11, 2017

Fever & coughing: is it just flu or could it be TB?

Earlier this year, there was an outbreak of drug-resistant Tuberculosis in Australia. It started when a doctor in Sydney misdiagnosed a student with asthma and lung cancer – before realising it was TB. Scary stuff! It’s understandable, though: TB shares symptoms with other conditions, such as flu, but they should be treated with completely different medications. TB is caused by the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is easily spread when people with active lung disease expel the small airborne TB particles from their lungs into the air through coughing. Other people then breathe in the infectious droplets into their lungs, where…
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Chest & LungTuberculosis
April 18, 2017

The cost of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacterium. It destroys parts of the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, but can also spread to and attack the bones, joints and nervous system. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about one percent of our population develops TB disease each year. In South Africa the resistant strains of TB are on the increase. In fact, only five percent of TB is drug-resistant worldwide. This means that they are difficult to treat, time-consuming, and expensive. According to WHO, it can cost several hundred times more to treat drug-resistant TB…
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Chest & LungTuberculosis
March 23, 2017

How to live better with TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis. It usually manifests and destroys parts of the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, but can also spread to and attack the bones, joints and nervous system. TB bacteria can live in the body for years without any symptoms or spreading to others. How TB is spread TB travels through the air. When a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks, droplets of the TB bacteria are released into the air. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.…
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Chest & LungTuberculosis
March 1, 2016

Can we stop TB for good?

Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that takes away 1.5 million lives from us every year. 1.5 million is not just a number - it also represents a sister, a child, a mother or a friend that could have been saved. TB is preventable and curable, and it’s up us to fight it. The 24th of March is World TB Awareness day: so let's gear up our knowledge so we can win this war. (more…)
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Chest & LungInfections
August 25, 2015

Coughing: How do you know if you have TB?

So, you've been coughing for a few months now and sweating at night... even your friends are saying you've lost some weight and should go for a TB test. TB is very common in South Africa, but fortunately it can be prevented and treated. Here's what you need to know. (more…)
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Chest & LungInfections
September 12, 2014

High-carb meals may reduce the effectiveness of your TB meds

It’s hard enough to accept that one has TB, but did you know that when you decide to eat can affect the efficacy of your treatment? A new study suggests that if you eat just before taking your TB medication, it can cut down on your medicine’s effects, especially if you’re in the early stages of treatment – it’s a tough pill to swallow. (more…)
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