Tuberculosis FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Tuberculosis?
- Who gets Tuberculosis?
- How is TB spread?
- What is TB infection?
- What is TB disease?
- What are TB symptoms?
- How can I get tested for TB?
- Where can I get tested for TB?
- What if my TB test is positive?
- If I have TB infection, how can I keep from developing TB disease?
- How is TB disease treated?
- Why do I need to take TB medicine regularly?
- What is Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB)?
Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease usually affecting the lungs (pulmonary TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other parts of the body (extrapulmonary TB) can also be affected; for example, brain, lymph nodes, kidneys, bones, joints, larynx, intestines, or eyes.
Tuberculosis can affect people of any age. Individuals at increased risk are those with a weakened immune system including older adults, infants and young children, and people living with HIV.
TB is spread through the air from one person to another through coughing or sneezing. Peoplle become infected when they breathe in the TB bacteria. The bacteria can then settle in the lungs and begin to grow. However, the bacteria may also move to other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, kidneys, spine, and brain.
TB becomes infectious when the disease is in the lungs or throat. This means the bacteria can be spread to others. People with TB disease are most likely to spread it to those they regularly spend time with, including family members, friends, and coworkers.
In some individuals, their immune system is able to stop the TB bacteria from making them sick. For these individuals, the TB bacteria is inactive, but remains alive in the body. This is called TB infection and these individuals:
- have no symptoms
- don't feel sick
- can't spread TB to others
- usually have a positive skin test reaction
- can develop TB disease later in life if they do not receive preventive therapy
Many people who have TB infection never develop TB disease. In these people, the TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime without causing disease. But in other people, especially people who have weak immune systems, the bacteria become active and cause TB disease.
TB bacteria become active if the immune system cannot stop them from growing. The active bacteria begin to multiply in the body and cause TB disease. Some people develop TB disease soon after becoming infected, before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick later, when their immune system becomes weakened.
Individuals with weakened immune systems are at increased for developing TB disease soon after infection. These individuals can include infants and young children, individuals living with HIV, and individuals who have any of the following conditions:
- substance abuse
- diabetes mellitus
- silicosis
- cancer of the head or neck
- leukemia or Hodgkin's disease
- severe kidney disease
- low body weight
- certain medical treatments (such as corticosteroid treat or or organ transplants)
6. What are Tuberculosis symptoms?
Symptoms of TB depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing. TB bacteria usually grow in the lungs. TB in the lungs may cause:
- a bad cough that lasts longer than 2 weeks
- pain in the chest
- coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
7. How can I get tested for TB?
Testing is the only way to find out if you have TB infection. You can get a skin tested at your local health department or at your doctor's office. Contact your local health department or your doctor's office for testing. You should get tested for TB if:
- you have spent time with a person with infectious TB
- you have HIV infection or another condition that puts you at high risk for TB disease
- you think you might have TB disease
- you are from a country where TB disease is very common (most countries in Latin America and Caribbean, Africa, and Asia except for Japan)
- you inject drugs
- you live somewhere in the U.S. where TB disease is common (most homeless shelters, migrant farm camps, prisons and jails, and some nursing homes)
Please note that the City of Milwaukee Health Department does not perform routine TB testing for a job or for school requirements.
8. Where can I get tested for TB?
City of Milwaukee residents who have been identified by local health authorities as recently exposed to TB can get free TB testing through the TB Prevention and Care Clinic. Please call (414) 286-8034 to confirm eligibility.
The City of Milwaukee Clinics do not perform routine testing for a job or for school requirements.
Individuals should contact their local health department on where to go for TB testing.
9. What if my skin test is positive?
If you test positive, your doctor or nurse may do other tests to see if you have TB disease. These tests usually include a chest x-ray and if cough is present, potentially testing the phlegm you cough up. Because the TB bacteria may be present somewhere else in your body or outside of your lungs, the doctor or nurse may complete additional tests. If you have TB disease, you will need to take medicine to cure the disease.
10. If I have TB infection, how can I keep from developing TB disease?
Many people who have TB infection never develop TB disease. But some people who have TB infection are more likely to develop TB disease than others. These people are at high risk for TB disease. They include:
- people living with HIV
- people in close contact with a person who has infectious TB
- people who became infected with TB bacteria in the last 2 years
- babies and young children
- people who inject drugs
- people who are sick with other diseases that weaken the immune system
- elderly people
If you have TB infection (a positive TB test) and you are in one of these high-risk groups, it is recommended that you take medicine to keep you from developing TB disease. Anyone with TB infection should consider taking preventative medication. Discuss with you doctor or a City of Milwaukee Health Department TB Prevention and Care Clinic nurse.
People who have TB infection but do not receive preventive therapy need to know the symptoms of TB. If they develop symptoms of TB disease later on, they should see a doctor right away.
11. How is TB disease treated?
TB disease can almost always be cured with adequate treatment. If you have TB disease you will need to take several different drugs. this is because taking several drugs will do a better job of killing all the TB bacteria and preventing them from becoming resistant to the medication. But the medicine must be taken as the doctor or nurse tells you.
Having TB should not stop you from having a normal life. Once you are no longer infectious or feeling sick, you can do some of the same things you did before you had TB disease.
12. Why do I need to take TB medicine regularly?
TB bacteria are slow to die, which is why treatment lasts several months. It is important to take your medication regularly, even when you begin to feel better or no longer have any symptoms. Not taking the medication regularly increases the risk for drug resistance of that the bacteria can make you sick again.
If you become infectious again, you could give TB bacteria to your family, friends, or anyone else who spends time with you. It is very important to take your medicine the way your doctor or nurse tells you.
13. What is Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR TB)?
When TB patients do not take their medicine as prescribed, the TB bacteria may become resistant to a certain drug. This means that the drug can no longer kill the bacteria.
Drug resistance is more common in people who:
- have spent time with someone with drug-resistant TB disease
- do not take their medicine regularly
- do not take all of their prescribed medicine
- develop TB disease again, after having taken TB medicine in the past
- come from areas where drug-resistant TB is common