Epidemiology of Tuberculosis

Epidemiology of Tuberculosis

Introduction

In the United States, tuberculosis is among the infectious diseases that offer the healthcare industry a significant challenge to diagnose, treat, and control. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, the incidence cases of TB were reported ever with 2.8 cases per 100,000 persons. Since 1993 the cases of tuberculosis have dramatically reduced with Non-U.S. born population being the ones with most such incidents (Horsburgh & Rubin, 2011). Tuberculosis is an acute or chronic disease that is caused by bacteria/germs that bout mainly lungs and other critical parts of body organs such as the kidney, spine, and brain. The bacteria/germs lead to the creation of tiny tissue masses that are referred to as tubercles. The tubercles in the lungs they grounds impaired breathing, coughing, and production of sputum. Tuberculosis causes bacteria may recur after a prolonged latency if the treatment is not provided correctly.

Causes and mode of transmission

TB is regarded as a bacterial infection that is caused primarily by Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium bovis. However, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the primary basis of disease that is spread by the airborne droplets that are released into the atmosphere through coughing from an individual with active TB (Orcau, Caylà, & Martínez, 2011). Active TB released in the air through other means such as singing or speaking stay for long hours, where an individual who breathes such contaminated air is at high vulnerability to either suffer from latent infection or active disease. Anciently, Mycobacterium bovis was passed from the dairy products to humans, the aspect that made dairy and cattle to be inspected and tested carefully before releasing it to the public.

Signs and symptoms

Lungs are the primary affected with tuberculosis causing breathing impairment. Another critical places affected, include kidneys, bones, lymph nodes, as well as the membranes covering the brain or it can spread the entire body. The typical symptoms of tuberculosis encompass high fever, fatigue and weakness, loss of appetite, sweating at nights, and persistent coughing (Orcau, Caylà, & Martínez, 2011). Also, in case the disease is in the lungs or throat, there is blood coughing, chest pains breathing difficulties, and other symptoms that are grounded on the location of the disease.

Treatment and Complications

When TB bacteria start multiplying in the body immune system becomes weak and unable to stop it from growing and later on becomes TB disease. The person affected becomes sick, and treatment becomes an integral part of taking medicine as prescribed to boost the immunity to counteract the bacteria. The treatment is usually done through administering the patient with drugs for 6 to 9 months, especially to the ones with active TB in the lungs (Orcau, Caylà, & Martínez, 2011). As per the U.S., Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted ten primary drugs that are critical in treating tuberculosis. The first-line drugs include the use of Isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, among others.

The common complications of tuberculosis bring acute and sub-acute attributes to structural damage or complexity of vascular due to the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The metabolic abnormalities and host inflammatory responses are affected by compromising body immunity. The TB-related sepsis is also portrayed complications that can even lead to death if diagnosis and treatment are not done as required.

Demographic Of Most Affected-Incidence, Prevalence, Morbidity and Mortality

Eradicating tuberculosis involves interrupting its transmission and stable grounds to address latent TB infection. In the year 2018, 9025 cases of TB in the United States were reported, the figure that was low by 0.7% less as compared in 2017. As such, it comprised the national incidence rate of 0f 2.8 cases per 100,000 persons (Horsburgh & Rubin, 2011). The TB cases reported in 2018 in the country; they mainly came from California, Texas, New York, and Florida. The minority groups, especially non-Hispanic Asians and non-blacks, the incidence rates remained high due to additional risks associated. The most cases of the disease came from individuals who were born outside the United States, and other risk factors came from diabetes individuals, alcohol abusers, people with HIV, and homeless Schmit et al., (2017) As compared the number of mortality rates in 2017 decreased as compared to previous year portraying a significant mitigations created to combat the situation.

Determinants of Health Affecting Tuberculosis

Healthy People 2020 has offered solid grounds for determinants of health, which explore personal, social, economic, and environmental facets that influence the health status of an individual. The determinant of health comprises broad categories of policymaking, social factors, individual behavior, and biological and genetics (“Determinants of Health,” n.d.). From the incidence and prevalence of the tuberculosis statistics, social and physical determinants affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality life results. For example, individuals who are born in poor settings continue to face disproportional when it comes to TB disease treatment. Also, due to physical determinants such as concentrated homes, schools, and worksites, they become more vulnerable to infecting each other with bacterial infections.

Health services are another category that affects tuberculosis. Limited access to health services for high-quality individual health status has a significant impact. The individuals susceptible to tuberculosis have poor settings to afford health insurance covers that cause delayed treatment, thus, compromising positive health outcomes (“Determinants of Health,” n.d.). Also, individual behavior plays a critical role in the realization of health outcomes. For example, the individuals who smoke and consume alcohol are at high risk of having TB, and quitting can help minimize the infectious disease. As such, it can be done through local, state, and federal policies being grounded to discourage individuals from consuming some products for the sake of their health.

Epidemiological Triad of Tuberculosis

The Epidemiological triad of tuberculosis portrays some of the critical components that are used to understand the disease properly through expounding on the host, agent, and environmental factors. The host factors of tuberculosis are governed by age, sex, heredity, nutrition, as well as immunity. Genetic vulnerability, resiliency, nutritional status, and individual behavior are the conventional host of the disease. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis and tubercle bacillus are the causative agents of TB, which belong to a closely related organism of M africanum, M bovis, and M microti in the M tuberculosis complex. The environmental factors of tuberculosis in epidemiological triad comprises the availability of resources to access healthcare, sanitary conditions as well as social perspectives such as abuse of substances, education, among others.

The Role of Public Health Nurse concerning the Disease.

As a public health nurse, patients suffering from TB should be monitored frequently to ensure that treatment is in order as planned, identification of any deviant side effects, and follow other improvements. The nurse role is critical in preventing TB and offer complete therapy to the patient after diagnosis. The nurse now structures down how the patients will receive the treatment, followed up not to quit medication, and monitor improvement. Public health nurses, they may also be involved in finding, reporting, collecting, and analyzing relevant data regarding tuberculosis to incorporate appropriate preventive measures. They can research to find out the risk factors associated, the population at risk, among other responsibilities such as reporting protocols. As a nurse, through understanding disease properly, he can offer educative programs to sensitize the public concerning the vulnerability and the sign and symptoms for treatment reasons.

Conclusion

In summation, tuberculosis is a severe infectious disease that requires critical treatment to avoid extensive spreading to prevent the risks associated. The condition can cause severe breathing impairment and other body complications due to weak immunity. As such, understanding gives appropriate settings for the public health industry to develop better tools that are needed to control it. Studying and understanding latent TB infection and persistence infection after administering treatment becomes the utmost significance. Tuberculosis is preventable and curable diseases, and affected people should seek medical attention to avoid the risk associated.

References

Determinants of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Determinants-of-Health

Horsburgh, C. R., & Rubin, E. J. (2011). Latent Tuberculosis Infection in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 364(15), 1441-1448. doi:10.1056/nejmcp1005750

Orcau, À., Caylà, J. A., & Martínez, J. A. (2011). Present epidemiology of tuberculosis. Prevention and control programs. Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica, 29, 2-7. doi:10.1016/s0213-005x(11)70011-8

Schmit, K. M., Wansaula, Z., Pratt, R., Price, S. F., & Langer, A. J. (2017). Tuberculosis — the United States, 2016. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66(11), 289-294. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6611a2