Epidemiology of TB

Epidemiological aspects of tuberculosis are still not clear.

There were an estimated 8.4 million new cases of tuberculosis in 1999; up from 8 million in 1997, if this trend continues, some 12 million new cases could occur each year by 2010. A

danger facing all countries is the emergence of drug resistant TB that is difficult to treat. A single person with contagious TB can infect between 10-15 people a year.

HIV is also fuelling TB in parts of Asia, which has about 60% of all TB cases. Globally, 12% of TB patients are infected with HIV.

HIV and TB are closely linked. Nearly 70% of TB patients are infected with HIV. In addition, up to 50% of people living with HIV can expect to develop TB. Worldwide, 36.1 million people are infected with HIV and 95% of them live in developing countries, where TB rates are highest. About 13 million people are infected with both HIV and M. tuberculosis.

TB and HIV are both enhanced by poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, psychological stress, and poor nutritional status, crowded living conditions

TB is the first manifestation of AIDS especially in case of developing countries. Nearly two thirds of all people with HIV or AIDS were living in the countries with the highest TB burden in the world.

PR-WHO/14 22 March 2001

Experts believe that about half of the Indian population is infected with TB bacilli.

The groups that are at high risk include: People with HIV infection (the AIDS virus) People

in close contact with those known to be infectious with TB People with medical conditions that make the body less able to protect itself from disease (for example: diabetes, the dust disease silicosis, or people undergoing treatment with drugs that can suppress the immune system, such as long-term use of corticosteroids)
people from countries with high TB rates, some racial or ethnic minorities. People who work in or are residents of long-term care facilities (nursing homes, prisons, some hospitals). People who are mal-nourished. Alcoholics and IV drug users.

Disease development: Usually there is a time delay between infection and the development of full-blown TB. Many who are infected with TB never develop the disease. In some people it is possible for the TB bacteria to remain inactive for a lifetime without ever causing disease. But in others, who have weakened immune systems, the bacteria become active. The type of symptoms will depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing. Typically, TB bacteria that grow in the lungs may cause:

Mild fever, headache, chills, night sweats
Malaise (feeling unwell), fatigue
Loss of appetite, weight loss
Cough, with or without sputum
Coughing up blood
Chest pain from pleurisy
Difficulty breathing
Swollen glands

Treatment plan

In allopathy there is a fixed treatment plan for the fresh cases of TB called four drugs regime for two months followed by three drugs regime for next four months. Emergency treatment may

be necessary if a patient is coughing up blood.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

While it is tempting to think that establishing good nutrition may restore damaged immune function or that dietary supplements may prevent TB infection, effective control of TB depends on appropriate use of medications. Researchers continue, however, to investigate the potential of vitamins and herbs to combat TB.

Homeopathy in TB

If a homeopath is able to draw a clear-cut picture of a homeopathic medicine on the basis of totality of symptoms can cure a case of even drug resistant TB. Professional homeopaths, however, may recommend one or more of the following treatments for tuberculosis based on their knowledge and clinical experience. Before prescribing a remedy, homeopaths take into account a person's constitutional type. In homeopathic terms, a person's constitution is his or her physical, emotional, and intellectual makeup. An experienced homeopath assesses all of these factors when determining the most appropriate remedy for a particular individual.

Prognosis and complications

A full course of allopathic medication can cure TB mostly in those who do not have a drug-resistant strain. The outcome may be less promising in patients who are elderly, those who have TB that has spread to locations other than the lungs including miliary TB (which spreads through the bloodstream affecting many organ systems), drug-resistant strains of TB, or those with HIV.

But this all is not been found in case of homeopathic treatment.

Usual complications of TB are:

Development of a drug-resistant strain.
TB associated with HIV.
TB-related meningitis, mostly in children.
Pneumothorax (collapse of a lung with air in the thorax).
Empyema (pus in thorax).
Haemopsis (Massive coughing up of blood).
Pleural thickness hampering respiration.

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