Pt called the office complaining of nose bleed and post nasal dripping.
Pt insisted that he did not have any other associated problems. Dr. advised him on the phone that he should go to the ER given that he underwent recent heart surgery and stress related issues.
Pt checked into ER for nose bleed and bloody sputum(a mixture of saliva and mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract.)
Chest x-ray in ER revealed some infiltration suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis which was confirmed by sputum stain.
The ER had to immediately isolate the Pt. Pt is now taking multiple anti-tb medications under supervision. (They need to be supervised because if the pt misses a dose, it can be detrimental to cause multi-resistant TB.)
We still have to be vigilant of infectious diseases like TB.
It certainly was a close call as we could have also been infected.
There is no certainty that diseases which have been eradicated won't come back. Take the case of immunization for children. When parents refuse to vaccinate their kids because of supposedly detrimental side effects such as autism, the risk of exposing vaccinated children to preventable diseases increases. Plus, there is also the threat of resistant strains of bacteria and virus.
ReplyDeleteyes these diseases are still causing trouble to humanlife.nowadays we do not give much importance to diagnosis of such diseases .Smoking ,bad working atmosphere are also causes for these diseases
ReplyDeleteTuberculosis is still a threat to humans, it is just one of those diseases that cant seem to be eradicated completely. Its upon us to be vigilant especially when treating TB, since its an airborne disease and very infectious.
ReplyDeleteEdward
Its wise to go for monthly checkups. If not monthly, at least once in 6 months. Tuberculosis has relapsed and is a threat to the human society. If the cough persists for more than a week,its wise to meet your GP.
ReplyDeleteOne does not have to be paranoid about getting infected so easily. The auto immunity system of a person is strong enough to ward of infections. It is advisable to take precautions, though.
ReplyDeleteTB is still very real and relevant to this day. That is why most human service jobs require a TB test. TB is one of those scary communicable diseases that could just get so out of control. At least they caught it before others were infected.
ReplyDeleteDeadly diseases, such as Tuberculosis, should really be taken care of. Since TB is an airborne-disease, a widespread of this disease would result to a terrifying scenario. I suggest arranging appointments to physicians who experience symptoms of TB, to prevent the spreading of the disease.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think TB was still a deadly disease. You don't hear about this cases on the news.
ReplyDeleteHad this Patient not contacted his doctor and not been given good medical advise to go the the ER; this patient could have had a serious infection. These good proactive practices spared the patient further issue and this close call could have also infected others in the ER.
ReplyDeleteWe should really be conscious of our health. A constant visit to our doctors is a big help. It makes us aware if there are abnormal behaviors going on in our body and prevention can be made before it gets worst.
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