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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
tuberculosis and athsmatics
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This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis.
tuberculosis and athsmatics
by dropdeadfred, Oct 08, 2004 12:00AM
my nickname is dropdeadfred: my question regards my wife who has just been tested positive for tuberculosis and also happens to be an athsmatic. my wifes doctor told her that she does not have an active case and she has not had a chest x-ray yet but i would like to know what are the possible ramifications of an asthmatic having tuberculosis. i am very concerned and worried this may make her athsma worse or that her asthma may make it easier for her TB to become active. my wife is about to be 43 in about one month and commutes between new york city and warwick, ny and rides for about one and a half hours each way with lots of people constantly coughing and sneezing. i anxiously await your answer and i thank you for being there to help.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Oct 20, 2004 12:00AM
, Oct 20, 2004 12:00AM
Living in the New York City metropolitan area your wife does have a risk of tuberculosis (TB) exposure. Her risk of TB could be increased if she takes steroid pills, like prednisone, for her asthma.
Purified protein derivative (PPD) is a skin test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). For this test a liquid is injected just under the skin. Dead TB germs are mixed in this liquid. If you have been infected with TB, a lump will usually form at the site of the injection. This is a positive PPD test. Generally this means that TB germs have infected your body. However when a non-contagious form of Mycobacterium called nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infects your body it is possible to have a positive PPD test. So a positive PPD test only suggests but does not prove that TB is the cause.
If a person has been infected with TB, but they do not have active disease, usually their chest x-ray shows no signs of prior infection and they have no symptoms of TB. The symptoms of TB are a cough that may or may not include coughing up blood, decreased appetite, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Most people with a positive PPD have a negative chest x-ray. These people continue to be healthy. They are not contagious, so they cannot give the TB to anyone else. This is known as a latent TB infection.
People with a positive PPD and a negative chest x-ray may or may not be given preventive treatment. This depends on their exposure to TB, when their PPD changed from negative to positive, and other factors in their health history. With a positive PPD and negative chest x-ray there is a 10% chance of developing active disease in your lifetime. The percentage is higher during the first few years after your PPD becomes positive. If your PPD has become positive after you have recently been in close contact with a person who has active disease, you would be given preventive treatment to lower your risk of developing active disease. Usually preventive treatment is isoniazid (INH) given for 6 to 9 months.
Purified protein derivative (PPD) is a skin test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). For this test a liquid is injected just under the skin. Dead TB germs are mixed in this liquid. If you have been infected with TB, a lump will usually form at the site of the injection. This is a positive PPD test. Generally this means that TB germs have infected your body. However when a non-contagious form of Mycobacterium called nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infects your body it is possible to have a positive PPD test. So a positive PPD test only suggests but does not prove that TB is the cause.
If a person has been infected with TB, but they do not have active disease, usually their chest x-ray shows no signs of prior infection and they have no symptoms of TB. The symptoms of TB are a cough that may or may not include coughing up blood, decreased appetite, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Most people with a positive PPD have a negative chest x-ray. These people continue to be healthy. They are not contagious, so they cannot give the TB to anyone else. This is known as a latent TB infection.
People with a positive PPD and a negative chest x-ray may or may not be given preventive treatment. This depends on their exposure to TB, when their PPD changed from negative to positive, and other factors in their health history. With a positive PPD and negative chest x-ray there is a 10% chance of developing active disease in your lifetime. The percentage is higher during the first few years after your PPD becomes positive. If your PPD has become positive after you have recently been in close contact with a person who has active disease, you would be given preventive treatment to lower your risk of developing active disease. Usually preventive treatment is isoniazid (INH) given for 6 to 9 months.
