Tuberculosis Last updated: Jul 17, 2008

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  Tuberculosis  
 

 
Signs, symptoms and indicators | Conditions that suggest it | Contributing risk factors | Other conditions that may be present | It can lead to... | Recommendations

 
 

The risk of tuberculosis, especially amoung children increases with the following risk factors: having a family history of tuberculosis infection going back two to three generations; having traveled abroad or having been exposed to foreign visitors; having contact with HIV-infected persons; having contact with current or previous prison inmates; and living in high-risk areas.

 
 

Signs, symptoms & indicators of Tuberculosis:
 
 
Lab Values - Cells  High ESR or elevated ESR

Symptoms - Metabolic
  Having a slight/having a moderate/having a high fever

Symptoms - Respiratory
  Recent/chronic productive cough
 Tuberculosis of the lung is usually associated with a persistent cough that does not go away. It may start as a dry cough that eventually leads to a productive cough with blood-stained sputum.


Counter-indicators:
  Lack of productive cough
 
 

Conditions that suggest Tuberculosis:
 
 
HormonesCounter-indicators:
  Hyperparathyroidism
 When hyperparathyroidism is present, the likelihood of elevated serum calcium being caused by other conditions is obviously reduced.

Inflammation
  Bursitis
 Tuberculosis has been known to be an underlying cause of bursitis.

  Episcleritis

Lab Values
  Monocytes Elevated

Nervous System
  Neuritis/Neuropathy

Organ Health
  Fatty Liver

Skin-Hair-Nails
  Night Sweats
 Tuberculosis (TB) is the classic cause of night sweats. Early on the immune system typically controls the infection and few if any symptoms develop. Then, later in life, the infection may reactivate, causing a chronic pneumonia with fever, night sweats, weight loss and cough. Sometimes the infection involves the lungs minimally, if at all. If you have had night sweats for more than a month or two without any other symptoms, tuberculosis would be less likely but not impossible.
 
 

Risk factors for Tuberculosis:
 
 
Family History  Tuberculosis in family members

Immunity
  AIDS / Risk

Lab Values - Chemistries
  Hypercalcemia
 Granulomatous disorders with high levels of calcitriol may be found in patients with sarcoidosis, berylliosis, tuberculosis, leprosy, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis.
 
 

Tuberculosis suggests the following may be present:
 
 
Immunity  AIDS / Risk
 
 

Tuberculosis can lead to:
 
 
Inflammation  Episcleritis

Skin-Hair-Nails
  Night Sweats
 Tuberculosis (TB) is the classic cause of night sweats. Early on the immune system typically controls the infection and few if any symptoms develop. Then, later in life, the infection may reactivate, causing a chronic pneumonia with fever, night sweats, weight loss and cough. Sometimes the infection involves the lungs minimally, if at all. If you have had night sweats for more than a month or two without any other symptoms, tuberculosis would be less likely but not impossible.
 
 

Recommendations for Tuberculosis:
 
 
Botanical  Kelp / Seaweed
 From an Oriental Medicine point of view, kelp has a history of use in TB.

Extract
  Plant Sterols / Sterolins (Phytosterols)
 A double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that patients having received Moducare had less inflammation, recovered from the mycobacterial infection faster (faster resolution of lung lesions) and recovered their immunological status faster. Other markers of efficacy included higher weight gain. All patients had received standard anti-tuberculosis therapy. [Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. (1997) 1, pp.518-522]

Mineral
  Colloidal Silver

Not recommended:
  Iron
 Excess levels of iron in the body have been found to promote the development of tuberculosis. In previous studies conducted in Africa, it has been suggested that iron levels are associated with the reproduction of the mycobacterium tuberculosis, as those who consumed large quantities of iron were at a greater risk from TB.

Mouse studies indicate that iron is an essential element in the reproduction of mycobacterium tuberculosis, a discovery that, researchers say, could aid in developing new treatments for TB. [J Exp Med, Dec. 2002;196: pp.1507-1513]
 
 


KEY
Weak or unproven link
Strong or generally accepted link
Proven definite or direct link
Strongly counter-indicative
May do some good
Likely to help
May have adverse consequences

"Keep on going and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down." Charles F. Kettering
"He never wins who fears defeat." Prahlad Pandey
"Doubting your chances before you're done, may cost you the race you might have won."





GLOSSARY

Bursitis:  The bursa is a fluid-filled pad that allows your muscles to easily slide over other muscles and bones. Bursitis occurs when this pad becomes inflamed. It usually occurs when you overuse or injure a specific joint, but it can also be caused by a bacterial infection. Symptoms include pain and inflammation around joints such as the elbow, hip, shoulder, big toe, ankle or knee.

Calcium:  The body's most abundant mineral. Its primary function is to help build and maintain bones and teeth. Calcium is also important to heart health, nerves, muscles and skin. Calcium helps control blood acid-alkaline balance, plays a role in cell division, muscle growth and iron utilization, activates certain enzymes, and helps transport nutrients through cell membranes. Calcium also forms a cellular cement called ground substance that helps hold cells and tissues together.

Chronic:  Usually Chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.

Immune System:  A complex that protects the body from disease organisms and other foreign bodies. The system includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response. The immune system also protects the body from invasion by making local barriers and inflammation.

Serum:  The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.

Tuberculosis:  Also known as TB, Consumption or "The White Plague", tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, usually affecting the lungs but possibly also the brain, kidneys and bones. Patients may at first be symptom-free or experience a flu-like illness. In the secondary stage, there might be a slight fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue and various other symptoms, depending on the part of the body affected. Tuberculosis of the lung is usually associated with a dry cough that eventually leads to a productive cough with blood-stained sputum. There might also be chest pain and shortness of breath.