Is tuberculosis contagious or not? This question excites many people. This disease is most often transmitted by airborne droplets and is very contagious to others, however, like any other infection. But it all depends on the patient’s form: closed or open. Once in the human body, the causative agent of tuberculosis spreads to different organs, most often it is localized in the region of the lungs. In places of "settling" of the infection, the formation of special tuberculous tubercles occurs, which are externally covered with a layer of connective tissue. These are the so-called foci of cold inflammation. It is estimated that 80% of the world's population is infected with mycobacteria. It is worth noting that among them, units really get sick. So is tuberculosis contagious or not? Below we will try to figure it out.
Kinds
Two forms of the disease are known:
- Closed when mycobacterium tuberculosis is contained within tuberculous tubercles.
- Open when pathogens are excreted with tiny drops of sputum during a conversation or cough. They can easily enter the body of a healthy person.
Is open tuberculosis contagious or not?
The open form carries a danger not only to the patient himself, but also to others. When the immune system does not cope with the infection, large cavities called cavities appear in the lungs at the site of the above-described tubercles. Inside them, a cheesy tissue breakdown occurs, called caseous necrosis.
The basis of this process is the destruction of the alveolar epithelium, while parts of the tissues of the bronchial tree and lung are secreted from the patient into the environment along with sputum. Is pulmonary tuberculosis contagious or not at this stage? The answer will be positive. The disease in an open form is easily transmitted to other people who are in close contact with the patient.
In one day, the patient spreads a huge number of bacteria around him. They enter the body of a healthy person.
Symptoms of open tuberculosis
At the stage of destruction of the lung tissue, pronounced signs appear similar to pneumonia:
- An angry cough, during which purulent sputum is released.
- Hemoptysis.
- Temperature changes.
- Chest pain.
- Reduced skin turgor.
- Blue nasolabial triangle.
Is tuberculosis contagious to others
Most often, the disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. Therefore, an open form carries a potential danger. In some cases, alimentary and contact transmission methods are found.
Infection has a high degree of survival and can persist for a long time in the environment. She feels great in dried sputum for a year and a half.
Clothing, bedding, dishes, and personal items used by a person who has become ill with tuberculosis may well contain viable pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, others can become infected through the saliva that remains on the smoked cigarette. The disease is transmitted through kisses.
It is worth knowing that the main source of infection with the infection is a person who is sick with an open form, that is, which releases infectious bacteria into the environment. But the disease is not transmitted through the use of a shared toilet or through a handshake.
Closed form
Is closed tuberculosis contagious? This form of pathology implies that the infection is concentrated inside the tuberculous tubercles and for a long time is in a sleeping state. A person may not even be aware that he is infected with a dangerous disease.
Sometimes he may be bothered by a short-term dry cough, weakness, and mild soreness in the chest. But these signs, as a rule, are associated not with tuberculosis, but with overwork or a cold. The disease begins to manifest itself under adverse conditions:
- Poor nutrition.
- Infectious or viral diseases that weaken defenses.
- Alcoholism and smoking.
- Diabetes.
- Chronic lung diseases.
With strong immunity, the body is able to control the disease. In this case, a person develops closed tuberculosis. Is he contagious? Until mycobacteria begins to enter the environment, the patient is not a source of infection and is not considered contagious to others.
How does it manifest
The closed form is characterized by the following features:
- There are no clear symptoms.
- There are no pathological changes in the radiograph.
- A tuberculosis test shows a positive result.
- An infection inside the body is not active.
- No tubercle bacilli are found in sputum.
Danger
The question arises: is pulmonary tuberculosis contagious? It all depends on the state of immunity and lifestyle. Or tuberculous tubercles are covered with a capsule, become denser, and over time calcifications form in their place. In this case, the infection does not spread throughout the body. Or the disease progresses and goes into an open form.
Infiltrative tuberculosis
This disease is understood as a severe form of tuberculosis, characterized by the manifestation of an inflammatory process in the lung tissues with the formation of infiltrates (accumulation of cellular residues in the lungs with an admixture of blood and lymphatic fluid). Before answering the question, is infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis contagious or not, you should understand the causes of its occurrence.
As a rule, the disease develops on the background of primary or secondary infection with Koch bacilli. Most often this is due to the reduced efficiency of the body's defenses, which lead to:
- bad habits;
- HIV infection;
- diabetes;
- respiratory diseases;
- recent severe illnesses;
- stay in places of imprisonment;
- frequent stresses.
There are four phases of this disease: resorption, compaction, lung decay, and seeding.
Contagiousness
Infiltrative tuberculosis is contagious to others, however, like any other type of tuberculosis. When an infected person coughs, sputum comes out of his lungs, which contains a high concentration of pathogenic bacteria. And they, as you know, are highly contagious.
If a person with this type of tuberculosis begins to expectorate sputum on the street, then he will seriously endanger even people who just pass by.
Prevention
Infection most often occurs in public places. In order not to get sick, the following rules must be observed:
- Use only personal hygiene items.
- Wash hands after visiting public places.
- Eat well, eat enough protein.
- In crowded places, stay away from coughing people.
- Lead a healthy lifestyle.
- To undergo fluorography once a year.
- More often to be in the fresh air and engage in physical education.
- Stop smoking and alcohol.
- Make a Mantoux test as directed by a doctor.
It is worthwhile to understand that anyone with a weak immune system or communicating with infected people and animals can get tuberculosis. Since infiltrative tuberculosis does not always appear on its own, it is important to pay attention to all the abnormalities in the body and diagnose them in time.
To do this, you need to undergo fluorography annually, and in the presence of unusual symptoms, contact a medical institution. This is necessary in order to prevent the transformation of the latent form of tuberculosis into an infiltrative or cavernous form, which lead to the breakdown of the lungs. It should be understood that timely treatment helps stop the disease, although it can take more than one year.
Sharing with a patient
Maintaining health when a person with tuberculosis lives in the house is much more difficult. How not to get infected in this case?
To help cope with the infection:
- Boiling household items for 30 minutes.
- Sunlight. Bacteria die under the influence of the sun in 2 hours.
- Quartz lamp. She kills the causative agent of tuberculosis in a few minutes.
Every day in the room where the patient with tuberculosis lives, wet cleaning with chlorine and ventilation should be carried out. Bacteria are well preserved in dust, so you should wipe the places of its accumulation. The patient should have separate bedding, hygiene products and utensils. These items should not be used by other people.
During contact with the sick person, gloves and masks should be worn. With a significant threat of infection, a course of anti-TB drugs is prescribed. Preventive treatment is mandatory. It is necessary in order to stop the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms that have entered the body.
Conclusion
Is tuberculosis contagious or not? It can be concluded that people suffering from this disease are dangerous to others. But only if the form of the disease is open. Closed forms of tuberculosis are not dangerous for healthy people. But a latent infection can be transmitted to those who have weakened immunity, as well as to children. For the first time, a closed form appears in a person. That is why it is necessary to pay attention to any deviations in the work of the body and promptly seek help from the attending physician.