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A friend was recently diagnosed with latent tb. I guess this means that at some point they came in contact with someone that had tb, but did not actually develop the tb disease. Their doctor recommended as a precaution they take 9 months of antibiotics to ensure that they would never actually get tb, the dr also said that out of all the people infected only about 10% of these people actually develop the disease. The drugs are not without there dangers, since my friend is 35, which is usually the cutoff age for getting the drugs he will have to be monitored for liver failure as long term use of these drugs can cause liver failure or hepatitis. It sounds gnarly. My friend is researching as am I, and I'm wondering if any one has gone through the treatment for latent tb, not active tb and can share if they had any bad reactions. Thanks!
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My doctor told me the same thing. I told her I don't need to take any preventative drug for nine months. So I went to research and discovered that the preventative is being in the sun for periods of the day to get more vitamin D. Check it out for yourself.
Vince
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Unfortunately, TB made a comeback in the 80's with the development of HIV/Aids. It was basically ignored for a good decade, and few funds made available for States to address the rising numbers affected (for both HIV/Aids and TB). Anyone enclosed with an infected person (elevator, airplane, jails, etc) can be exposed to it. CDC mandated health care facilities in the 90's (finally) to take precautions to protect healthcare workers and other patients, including the installation of negative air flow rooms. However, other types of facilities such as holding cells in jails and prisons, airlines, etc. have skimmed by these requirements.
In addition, TB is mutating and there are resistant strains out there now that require 3-4 meds taken at a time to get rid of it. If the infected person doesn't take the meds as directed, it doesn't go away. It's a rising health issue that is not being properly addressed so I suspect more and more latent and active cases will continue to be diagnosed. As for preventative? I agree, Puna Kite Man. Vitamin D is a great preventative against viruses, and disease - let nature do its perfect work!
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I was skeptical of your Vitamin D claim until I googled it. There's something to it, I'll forward it to my friend. He surfs alot so Vit. D shouldn't be a problem.
Angela
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Just a heads up and a good fyi for lots of people. A friend of mine tested positive on a tb test earlier, but demanded a retest. He took benadryl this time since he tends to have allergies and is allergic to mosquito bites. The second reading if positive should have been more severe since he had already had the first one. Instead it was just a small faint red dot, no swelling etc..He thinks he was allergic to the serum they used. If you or child tends to have a lot of allergic reactions it might be a good idea to take benadryl before having the test. He just saved himself 9 months of drug therapy.
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There is also a "sensitive skin" version of the test. My skin is highly reactive, and I have had to request the sensitive skin version for my annual test at work - the regular kind was negative (flat) but itched like crazy and left my skin discolored for a couple months.
The Benedryl is a great idea, though.
