The cause of TB or tuberculosis is a bacterial infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There are many factors that can increase your risk of developing this disease, from an unhealthy lifestyle to having a weak immune system.
Tuberculosis or TB is one of the 10 most common causes of death in the world. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), every year around 1.5 million people in the world die from TB.
Globally, Indonesia is one of the countries with the most tuberculosis cases. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia noted that in 2018 alone there were approximately 842,000 Indonesians who suffered from TB.
Due to the high number of TB cases in Indonesia, it is important to know the causes of TB and what factors can increase your risk of developing this disease. The goal is that you can make efforts to prevent TB more optimally.
Causes of TB and its Risk Factors
As previously explained, the cause of TB is a bacterial infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria that cause TB generally attack the lungs.
The bacteria can be spread to other people through splashes of saliva that are released into the air when someone with TB sneezes, coughs, or spits. Although it can be spread through the air, TB is not as easy to spread as the flu or cough.
The process of transmitting TB bacteria requires close and prolonged contact with the patient. For example, living or working together and often interacting in their daily lives.
The chances of you contracting TB if you just sit next to an infected person, for example on a bus or train, are very small. In addition, TB patients who have been taking anti-tuberculosis drugs for at least 2 weeks are also at a lower risk of transmitting the disease to others.
Even so, there are several groups of people who are more easily infected with TB, including:
- People with weak immune systems (infants, children, the elderly, or people with HIV/AIDS) malnutrition, diabetes, and end-stage kidney failure, cancer
- Smoker
- People who live or work in high-risk environments, such as nursing homes or homeless shelters
- People who live in dense and slum settlements
- Medical workers who treat TB patients
- People living with TB sufferers
- People with bad lifestyles, such as abusing drugs or consuming alcohol
- People on medications that can weaken the immune system, such as chemotherapy
- People taking immunosuppressant drugs, such as people with cancer, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease
In the majority of cases, TB disease can indeed be cured as long as the drugs prescribed by the doctor are used correctly and according to directions. However, it is important for you to know the causes of TB and the risk factors, so that you can be more aware of the spread of this disease.
Generally, TB treatment takes at least 6 months to fully recover. Without regular and proper treatment, it will be much more difficult for sufferers to recover.
Do not hesitate to consult a doctor if you are at high risk of developing TB, especially if you are already experiencing some of the symptoms. The sooner the disease is detected, the greater the chance of being cured.