Aunt Mei just retired last year. Two years ago, her son married his wife and moved out. She and her wife exercised on weekdays and occasionally went out for a trip. Everything seemed to be natural and happy.
But recently her daughter-in-law became pregnant, and Aunt Mei had to consider what happened after her daughter-in-law gave birth. Perhaps she was worried day and night and did not have a good rest. Aunt Mei had coughed a lot recently. After her daughter-in-law heard about it, she was afraid that Aunt Mei had consumption. Don’t let her approach her.
Aunt Mei was even more worried, so she found the headline of health. After we heard the problem clearly, we decided to tell everyone about [some things about consumption].
Do you know these horrible facts?
No matter men or women, the prevalence rate of tuberculosis shows a rapid upward trend in the age group over 55-60 years old, far higher than other age groups, reaching a peak in the age group 75-80 years old.
(Source: Fifth Tuberculosis Epidemiological Survey in China.)
Among them, because the clinical manifestations of elderly pulmonary tuberculosis are often atypical, it is easy to delay diagnosis.
Especially for some elderly friends with coronary heart disease, respiratory diseases, tumors or other immunosuppressive diseases, the symptoms of tuberculosis will be covered up or mistaken for other diseases.
For example, typical symptoms of tuberculosis such as fever, weight loss and cough are often mistaken for diseases such as chronic bronchitis.
Why is it easier for the elderly to be recruited?
After entering old age, the functions of various organs of the human body will gradually decline, and the immunity of the human body will also decrease.
Once the body’s immunity drops, new infections or latent tuberculosis bacteria in the body are easy to make waves and begin to develop diseases. Therefore, in general, the elderly face a much higher risk of tuberculosis than the young.
Among them, special mention should be made of elderly friends suffering from diabetes.
As diabetes can lead to metabolic disorders, malnutrition and other problems in patients, weakening human immunity, especially the high sugar environment is conducive to the growth of tuberculosis bacteria, easy to promote tuberculosis, leading to diabetes complicated with tuberculosis, the disease conditions affect each other, easy to deteriorate both.
A large proportion of my patients are elderly patients with weak physique. Some patients are still diabetic and complicated with tuberculosis, which is more difficult to treat. Therefore, if there are elderly people with diabetes in the family, they should be more alert to tuberculosis and prevent the disease from deteriorating.
Tuberculosis usually has what manifestations?
Once tuberculosis occurs, patients often suffer from low fever, fatigue, night sweat, loss of appetite, cough and expectoration, bloody sputum, weight loss and other symptoms.
If the above-mentioned situation occurs, especially cough, blood in sputum and other symptoms, it is necessary to go to medical institutions in time to check tuberculosis.
Can it infect the family?
Remember this principle: nothing happens early, nothing happens late!
If tuberculosis is found at an early stage, after a period of regular treatment (6 months for common tuberculosis and 2 years for drug-resistant tuberculosis), the invasive lesions in the lungs of tuberculosis patients will gradually absorb and dissipate or fibroze and calcify, and the sputum will no longer carry tuberculosis bacteria, marking the recovery of tuberculosis.
Therefore, if early detection and treatment are carried out, the disease condition is generally mild, the treatment effect is good, and the bacteria excretion is less, which does not have the risk of infection to the surrounding population.
But! If the diagnosis is delayed, it can lead to severe tuberculosis, destructive changes in the body, poor treatment effect, and serious impact on the quality of life of patients. Severe patients often excrete bacteria and have the risk of infection to the surrounding population.
Do you want to pay special attention to children and pregnant women?
No matter children or old friends, when the body’s immune function is normal, even if they come into contact with some pathogenic bacteria for a while, the vast majority of bacteria will be eliminated, and a very small number of bacteria may lie in a [dormant] state in the body, neither suffering from disease nor clinical symptoms.
However, when the body’s resistance decreases, inhaled tuberculosis bacteria or tuberculosis bacteria originally lurking in the body will take the opportunity to multiply in large quantities, showing obvious clinical symptoms and developing into tuberculosis or tuberculosis in other parts.
It is often necessary to stay up late and get up late to take care of children. Poor rest and excessive fatigue are easy to reduce the immunity of the human body. In addition, the immunity of the elderly is already weaker than that of the young. Therefore, no matter whether the elderly in the family have a history of tuberculosis or not, I suggest to go to a regular medical institution for chest radiography on a regular basis (e.g. Every year) so as not to delay diagnosis, miss the best treatment opportunity and infect children and grandchildren.
If the elderly in the family are diabetics, they need close observation and regular examination. When looking after children, the elderly should also pay attention not to be overworked, eat a balanced diet, pay attention to rest and exercise, and nip in the bud.