Why is tuberculosis coming back more often?

Tuberculosis is also known as TB or consumption. But what exactly is tuberculosis and why is it so dangerous?

Tuberculosis is caused by Koch's bacillus. The disease usually affects the lungs, but vertebrae, meninges, lymph nodes and many other organs can also be affected.

People with pulmonary tuberculosis have persistent coughing, weight loss, night sweats and chest pain and cough up blood. The fluid droplets from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis can infect healthy people. But drinking milk from infected cows is also contagious. Due to the extensive travel, the infection now occurs in almost all countries, although China, India and some African countries are still the leaders.

Without care, the disease is often fatal. The treatment consists of long-term intake of three different antibiotics. Before using these antibiotics, patients were isolated in sanatoriums where they could mainly rest.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2023-12-09 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2025