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TB, Broncitis and Pnemonia

I was wonderinf if anyone knows if these 3 are in any way related to eachother. I am concerned because my sister is in the hospital and was told she had pnemonia. Then they said TB, then broncitis and they said all three are related. And they no longer classify it as TB anymore or something along those lines. So if someone could help out please4. I have researched online but found nothing. Thank you.

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Answer #1

TB stands for Tuberculosis, which is an disease caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It most often affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but it can affect other parts of the body, for example the brain or abdominal cavity.

Pneumonia and bronchitis are clinical conditions of the lower respiratory tract - lower airways and lungs. Both can be caused by infection with any number of different organisms - viruses, bacteria (including TB) or fungi. Bronchitis can also be caused by non-infective processes, for example chronic bronchitis due to constant irritation in a smoker.

With regard to your specific question - TB has not been reclassified so if Mycobacterium Tuberculosis is the cause of your sister’s illness, then its TB. It could be a pneumonia caused by TB, so that is where the confusion between the various terms comes in. If it is TB, she will be treated with a combination of at least 3 antibiotics for at least 6 months, as this is the standard treatment at present. It is also possible that the doctors initially considered TB in the potential list of causes (differential diagnosis), but then later found out with further testing that she has pneumonia but caused by a different organism.

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