Why does tuberculosis cure forever?

With existing anti-tuberculosis drugs, the cure rate can theoretically reach 95%. However, in fact, many people with tuberculosis treat forever but the disease still does not decrease.

Examination for tuberculosis patients

There are many reasons why TB treatment does not work:

Improper treatment

The patient arbitrarily treated not according to the instructions of the TB specialist, tuberculosis treatment was not properly prescribed, such as:

- Use only one anti-tuberculosis drug or use 2-3 drugs but have been resistant.

- No or no major drugs.

- Only bacteriostatic drugs, no or no antiseptic.

- Use drugs inadequate, not in the same way as divided doses, do not use drugs once a day and divided into several times.

- Poor quality drugs, treatment is not enough time.

Use the drug irregularly

The patient used medication, at no time, arbitrarily.

Stop treatment before the prescribed time

The cause of early drug discontinuation can be many: Do not understand the need for sufficient time treatment; 1-2 months of treatment, the clinical symptoms are reduced, the fever is gone, the cough is gone, eating well, gaining weight, and the health is almost normal so the treatment is stopped automatically. It is possible that patients stop taking drugs for social reasons: inability to continue treatment due to the need to earn a living, work, want to hide illness with family and colleagues.

There are also patients who stop treatment because they are not provided with enough medicine, there is no condition to get the medicine because the place is far away from the medical center. Sometimes patients receive wrong instructions from non-TB specialists. Discontinuation of treatment may also be due to complications, side effects; Especially for older people, have a history of liver disease.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis

Previously, the resistance rate was not much; Currently, the situation of drug resistance is increasing, becoming a hot and vital issue. Patients with drug resistance often suffer from inappropriate treatment for a long time. Resistance usually occurs not only with a drug but with many types. The increase in multi-drug resistant strains has become a major threat to the ability to cure tuberculosis.

Immunodeficiency due to HIV / AIDS

This may be a cause for 50% of TB cases cured.