The Severity Of Tuberculosis, Can It Kill Your Baby?

Babies are the most vulnerable as they cannot describe themselves. This is why it becomes extra mandatory to keep an eye on them at all times. Even after doing all that you can, some complications can still happen. Tuberculosis is such type of complicated health condition that should be treated by Pneumonia specialist Manchester as soon as possible.

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is an acute bacterial infection. People can catch this disorder by catching tiny infectious particles of TB bacteria from other people who are suffering from it. So making sure that your child is not coming in contact with a TB infection is the only way to prevent the disorder from happening.

Tuberculosis Affected Areas and Stages

At first, Tuberculosis spread through cough as droplets of breath are sprayed in the here. This is the most frequent cause of TB infection. But when it comes to a child getting infected with this disease they will not necessarily suffer from active disease.

The main affected areas of TB are the lungs but it also brings harm to other body parts. These are:

• Brain

• Bones, mainly the spine

• Abdomen

• And, lymph glands

Tuberculosis is not a disease that is the same for all. Individuals catch different stages of this disorder according to their immune systems. You should contact the best “pneumonia specialist near me” as soon as you start to see any of the symptoms of the below stages:

Exposure- Getting exposed to the bacteria is of course the first stage of Tuberculosis. The symptoms of getting Tuberculosis might not be visible at first as the child may have a normal chest X-ray and a negative skin test too.

Latent TB Disease- This stage also doesn’t show any symptoms. The child might have TB bacteria in their body but due to their strong immunity system, it might never become active.

Most people can carry the latent bacteria throughout their lives without any showcasing symptoms or spreading it to other people. The child would have a positive skin test but a normal chest X-ray at a Pneumonia specialist Manchester.

TB Disease: This is the advanced stage of the disease where the child would showcase all the signs of this active infection. And when it comes to getting a skin test and X-ray, all will be positive. If the untreated situation can get worst and they can spread the bacteria among others.

Who are at risk of catching Tuberculosis?

As said above, TB can only become active in those who have a low immunity system; strong built children should be safe from forming TB disease. This includes children who have: HIV, diabetes or are treated with a type of medication that weakens the immunity system.

Once the child has caught active TB, symptoms will start to show. These symptoms may vary from person to person and depending on their age. However, below are the most common symptoms of TB that can be seen in a younger child:

• He or she will get the fever

• The child may lose significant weight

• They might have a poor growth rate

• Your child may cough repeatedly

• They can also get swollen glands

• He or he might get chills

Most seen signs of TB that can be seen in adolescents and should be taken to a Chest infection specialist Manchester immediately:

• Cough that lasts longer than 3 weeks or so.

• Coughing up blood mixed phlegm

• Getting feverish

• Experiencing weakness

• Getting tired easily or without doing anything

• Getting glands swollen

• Drastic weight loss

• Inability to eat or decreased appetite

• Constantly sweating at nighttimes

• Being chilly is also another symptom

As you can see, these symptoms are not categorized and can be seen even when the person is not affected by this infection.

The Diagnose Procedure of TB in A Child

Diagnosing if a child has Tuberculosis or not, will be determined by studying the child’s health history. Therefore, upon visiting a doctor, he or she will ask about the symptoms your child is facing along with their health history and then proceed to take a physical exam.

There are mainly two ways to determine whether the person has TB or not and those are- with a skin test and chest X-ray. The skin test procedure takes, injecting a small amount of testing material into the top skin layer. And if the area is developing a bump in 2 to 3 days, the test will be taken as positive.

But skin test is not always recommended as these circumstances are advised for a TB skin test:

• If the child has a positive TB X-ray

• If your child has been exposed to TB previously in the last 5 years

• Showcasing strong symptoms of TB

• If you live in a place where TB is more common

If the skin test is positive, the best baby cough doctor in Manchester will then proceed with the skin test and phlegm test. And if the situation calls for it, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) named blood tests may be done too.

Treatment for Tuberculosis in a Child

Treating TB cannot be done from home as it will take thorough medical care with medicine. Children who have latent TB will be giving medication of 6 to 12 months or they might also get the shorter course of a powerful medication.

On the other hand, a child who has active TB might be given 2 to 3 different medications for 6 months or more upon seeing their recovery status. Children can be seen to get better after mere weeks of starting the medication. And after continuing medication for 2 weeks, your child may not be infectious anymore. Prescribed time to take medication should be followed and finished.

If your child is going through the same problem, then make an appointment with Dr. Anirban Maitra as he has supreme experience in this field and has been connected with Riverside Centre for years now. Don’t ignore the signs of TB as it can progress to something far serious if left untreated.