The Ministry of Health warned that those who have had a new coronavirus infection have an increased risk of developing tuberculosis. Understanding when to sound the alarm.
One of the consequences of the transferred COVID-19 is pulmonary fibrosis, when, due to the inflammatory process, scars form on the tissue sites. As a result, gas exchange is disrupted and the function of the respiratory system decreases. That is why doctors have reason to believe that such patients have an increased risk of developing respiratory diseases.
Lurking enemy
The World Health Organization calls tuberculosis one of the main problems of mankind. The insidiousness of the disease is that it often passes in a latent form. That is, the pathogen, Koch’s bacillus, enters a healthy strong organism and receives a stable immune response. Bacteria cannot multiply in such conditions and fall into a dormant state. But as soon as the protective functions are weakened, the infection is activated. In this case, the consequences of infection with coronavirus have not yet been fully understood. But the studies available to date already allow us to conclude that the presence of tuberculosis infection, including latent, aggravates the course of COVID-19… This, in particular, is stated in the new version of the “Temporary guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
Safety measures
Coronavirus and tuberculosis can have similar symptoms – cough, fever, weakness. Therefore, new recommendations were given for admitting patients with suspected COVID-19 to the hospital. In order to exclude tuberculosis infection at the initial stage and prevent the development of concomitant pathology, it is necessary not only to do a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but also to test for tuberculosis. We are talking primarily about patients with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. They have a decrease in the number of leukocytes and lymphocytes in their blood – an indicator that the immune system is very weakened. And this is a risk factor for the transition of a latent tuberculosis infection to an active one. For tests, venous blood is taken, one visit to the laboratory is enough to do tests for immunoglobulins to COVID-19 and for the release of interferon gamma for testing for tuberculosis.
Risk group
If earlier tuberculosis was considered an ailment of the poor, now those at risk are those who:
is constantly in a state of stress, while sleeping little, does not follow the diet;
people with weakened immune systems due to chronic diseases, for example, diabetics, HIV-infected.
That is, after the coronavirus, the likelihood of contracting tuberculosis is higher in those who already had a predisposition. The severity of the infection is not affected. If you have just defeated covid pneumonia, feel weak, have lost weight, do not panic and immediately suspect you have consumption. These are all natural reactions of the body to fight infection. It takes time to recover, and it can take several months. Follow your doctor’s instructions, do breathing exercises, and walk more. And for timely diagnosis, adults have enough do fluorography once a year, it is now considered the main method. In case of doubt or to clarify the diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe x-rays, urine and blood tests.
The tuberculosis vaccine is included in the national vaccination schedule.