What Causes Tuberculosis?

Latent TB

This is when a patient has the tuberculosis bacteria in their body, but they are not ill. The bacteria is technically “asleep” in the body, and the person cannot pass them on to others. Because of this, they may not know that they have the tuberculosis bacteria. They only discover that they have it through a skin or blood test that checks for tuberculosis. Damage from the bacteria will not be seen if they have an X-ray of their lungs. However, even though the person is not ill, they can be treated with medication to make sure that the tuberculosis bacteria is removed from their body. There are two types of medications that are generally given to patients with latent TB. They are taken together for three months then one is taken for six months. About one in ten patients with latent tuberculosis go on to have the active kind of the disease.

Continue reading to find out what the active type of this disease is.