Pulmonary tuberculosis
Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs.
Symptoms
The primary stage of TB usually doesn't cause symptoms. When symptoms of pulmonary TB occur, they may include:
- Cough (usually cough up mucus)
- Coughing up blood
- Excessive sweating, especially at night
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Unintentional weight loss
- Breathing difficulty
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
Prevention
TB is a preventable disease, even in those who have been exposed to an infected person. Skin testing (PPD) for TB is used in high risk populations or in people who may have been exposed to TB, such as health care workers.
A positive skin test indicates TB exposure and an inactive infection. Discuss preventive therapy with your doctor. People who have been exposed to TB should be skin tested immediately and have a follow-up test at a later date, if the first test is negative.
Prompt treatment is extremely important in controlling the spread of TB from those who have active TB disease to those who have never been infected with TB.
Some countries with a high incidence of TB give people a BCG vaccination to prevent TB. However, the effectiveness of this vaccine is controversial and it is not routinely used in the United States.
People who have had BCG may still be skin tested for TB. Discuss the test results (if positive) with your doctor.
Nursing Care Plan Pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB)
Nursing Diagnosis Pulmonary Tuberculosis
1. Ineffective airway clearance
2. Impaired gas exchange
3. Risk for infection
4. Imbalanced Nutrition Less then Body Requirements
5. Knowledge deficit