TB & HIV

 

People with HIV are more likely than others to become sick with TB. Because HIV disease weakens the immune system, which makes it harder for the body to fight against TB germs.

TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly disease which usually affects the lungs. It also affects other parts of the body including the brain, kidneys, or spine. TB diseases will lead to severe sickness again or else can cause death, if it is not treated early.

People with a healthy immune system do not have any problems: People with a good immune system can have TB germs in your body and not get sick yourself or spread to others.

It’s more important and different for someone who is HIV positive. If your immune system is weak, TB germs will multiply and cause symptoms. People who are infected with both HIV and TB, especially when their CD4 count is under 200, are at least 10 times more likely to develop active TB. Regardless of your CD4 count, being affected by both infections means you have AIDS, an advanced stage of HIV. People with HIV are having major chances of death from being affected by TB.

Important part of living with HIV is taking steps to prevent infections and get tested and treated for it. It does not help to control TB but it helps prevent damage to your immune system.

Causes

When you cough or sneeze, the bacteria travel through the air that causes tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. You do not like to get TB through a single contact. And also you do not get it by sharing dishes or utensils or by touching someone who has it.

Chances of getting TB are much greater, if you are surrounded by an infected person often like someone you work with or living with. More easily tb can spread more in crowded places with little fresh air too. Talk to your doctor about your safety to spend more time somewhere like a hospital, clinic, doctor’s office, nursing home, jail or prison or homeless people.

More chances of getting TB if you:

• Are pregnant
• Are below 5 years old or older than 65
• Drinking alcohol or injecting any drugs
• Don't eat well and healthy foods

Symptoms

Active TB feel you sick with these symptoms:

• A severe cough which lasts more than 2 weeks to more
• Coughing up with mucus or blood spotting
• Chest/ cardo pain

And also:

• Weakness or fatigue
• Weight loss
• Not good appetite
• Fever or chills
• Night sweats

Diagnosis

You should get a tuberculin skin test (TST) as soon as you find out that you have HIV.  You will get an injection (TB protein) under the skin on your arm. Health care provider checks the site of the injection area, swelling and redness are signs of TB infection, after 2 or 3 days. Another blood test called interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA).

Any of the tests positive TST and IGRA does not necessarily mean that you have Tuberculosis disease(active TB). Because TB germs will remain silent in the body called latent TB.

Other tests will confirm that you have active TB. these test are important to do if you have any symptoms that suggest TB even if your TST or IGRA was negative but an earlier TST or IGRA was negative but is now positive:

• Take a chest X-ray, which helps to take a pictures of your lungs
• A TB smear test,  means your doctor takes a sample of the phlegm when you've coughed up and test them under a microscope for signs of bacteria
• A sputum culture test will let the bacteria in the mucus grow so a technician can check for the one that causes TB
• Do a molecular test, to determine if you have TB DNA in your sputum
• if you live or work in a setting where you are surrounded by someone with TB. You should get tested again periodically, After a negative TST

Babies who are born for hiv positive moms should get tested at 9 to 12 months of age.

Treatment

You will need to be treated right away whether your TB is active or not.

There are many drugs that prevent tb infection from developing disease. First, your doctor will confirm that you don’t have active TB. then you will take

There are many drugs used to prevent the tuberculosis (TB) infection from becoming the disease. Your healthcare provider will need to confirm that you don't have active TB first. Then you'll take a form of vitamin b6 as isoniazid, or INH (Nydrazid), for 9 months with pyridoxine to prevent the side effect of nerve damage in your hands and feet.  Other drugs for 4 months that you will take are rifampin, or RIF (Rifadin), or weekly for 3 months will take a combination of INH and rifapentine (RPT).

You'll take a combination of drugs to treat active TB for several months that includes:

• Ethambutol, or EMB (Myambutol)
• Isoniazid, or INH (Nydrazid)
• Pyrazinamide, or PZA (Tebrazid)
• Rifampin, or RIF (Rifadin)

Usually medicines for HIV and for TB don’t always work well together. Your healthcare provider will decide which combination will be best for you. If you have active TB, your Tuberculosis must be treated immediately. If you are on ART, your doctor will have to adjust your drugs for HIV. If you are not on ART, your healthcare provider will decide when you should start ART.

If you have known that you have active TB, you must be treated immediately.

Your doctor will adjust your HIV drugs if you are undergoing ART. If you are not Undergoing ART, your doctor will decide how soon you should start ART.

Try to keep your TB treatment plan the way your doctor told you to and finish them. If you follow or not, germs can become resistant so you will become sick again and the drugs may stop working.

Conclusion

You will take medicine to treat the disease if you have tb disease. Without treatment, diseases will lead you to get very sick or even make you die. It's more important to get the required follow up tests, follow your doctor’s advice. And also take the medicines as prescribed.