Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosisDiagnosisTuberculosis is a very dangerous and serious disease. There are approximately millions of new cases of tuberculosis diagnosed each year worldwide. Additionally, nearly 3 million people have TB but have not been diagnosed. It is very important for people to monitor their health and be aware of TB infection. If you have symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever, fatigue, chest pain and coughing for weeks or even coughing up blood, you should suspect that you have tuberculosis. and consult a doctor. The tuberculosis bacteria in their body will be sick. There are two types of TB infection: latent TB infection and active TB infection. It is difficult to diagnose latent TB infection because it has no symptoms. On the other hand, an active TB infection is much easier to diagnose than a latent TB infection. However, misdiagnoses can sometimes occur because the symptoms of an active TB infection are very similar to those of an upper respiratory infection, bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia. A TB skin test, also known as a PPD test, and a TB blood test are the two most commonly used ways to test for TB. For the TB skin test, the doctor will inject a small amount of liquid called tuberculin, a protein extract from cultures of TB bacteria, into the skin on your arm. Patients generally have to wait 48 to 72 hours for the test result. If you have localized swelling at the injection site, it means you probably have tuberculosis. However, the test result may be wrong. A negative test result could be a false negative, meaning the person could have tuberculosis; This occurs in 5-10% of patients, especially in HIV-positive patients, children and the elderly. On the other hand, the ...... middle of paper ...... Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 28, 2011. Web. May 13, 2014. “Tuberculosis.” Tests and diagnosis. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, nd Web. May 13, 2014. “DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOSIS Xpert MTB/RIF Test”. . World Health Organization, nd Web. May 13, 2014. “Chapter 6 Treatment of Tuberculosis.” . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nd Web. May 13, 2014. “Misdiagnosis of tuberculosis.” - RightDiagnosis.com. Health Grades Inc., nd Web. May 13 2014. .