Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria belonging to a group known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. It mostly affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, a condition known as extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis symptoms differ depending on which part of the body is affected. The most common symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, which affects the lungs, are:
- persistent cough (for more than 2 weeks)
- fever
- night sweats
- weight loss
In the EU/EEA, around 75% of cases have tuberculosis that affects the lungs.
When tuberculosis affects an area other than the lungs, symptoms vary depending on the specific part of the body affected.
Symptoms and signs frequently seen in tuberculosis are also common in other diseases so careful examination and differential diagnosis are necessary.
Key facts
Risk for people
In Europe, most countries report a low number of cases: fewer than ten tuberculosis cases per 100 000 people.
Anyone can get tuberculosis, but individual health-related and broader socioeconomic factors increase the chances of getting infected and developing active disease.
For example, people with weak immune systems, the undernourished, people with diabetes, those who smoke or use alcohol chronically are at a higher risk of being infected with tuberculosis and developing active disease.
Some of the socioeconomic factors associated with tuberculosis include poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, migration, fast urbanisation, overcrowded and poorly ventilated living conditions, and homelessness.
How it spreads
Tuberculosis spreads when someone inhales tiny droplets containing the bacteria, usually released into the air when a person with pulmonary tuberculosis disease coughs, sneezes or talks.
Some people can spread the bacteria even without presenting any symptoms of the disease.
Diagnosis and treatment
Early detection and treatment of tuberculosis is important to improve health outcomes and prevent further transmission.
Tuberculosis disease can be detected using various diagnostic methods, available at health care centres.
Diagnosing tuberculosis is sometimes delayed for several reasons:
- Lack of awareness about the disease, especially in places where tuberculosis is infrequent
- Symptoms can be non-specific, especially when people are co-infected with HIV or other body parts besides the lungs are affected
- Some people may not have easy access to healthcare
Tuberculosis is a curable disease. Tuberculosis treatment requires a combination of medications administered for several months. This treatment can cause side effects that should be monitored and clinically managed. It is important that people with tuberculosis disease complete their course of treatment in order to prevent the disease from spreading. Not finishing the full treatment can lead to drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, which are more difficult to treat and cause severe disease.
People with tuberculosis disease benefit from having social and psychological support from family, friends, community members and health care professionals throughout the duration of their treatment.
Protective measures
In order to prevent the disease, there is the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which provides partial protection against severe forms of tuberculosis, such as tuberculosis meningitis, particularly in children below five years of age. BCG vaccination does not provide good protection against pulmonary tuberculosis in adolescents and adults.
Provision of tuberculosis preventive treatment to people who have been infected with tuberculosis decreases their risk of developing active disease.
ECDC is working towards ending the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030, in line with the international goals described in the Sustainable Development Goals and the End TB Strategy.
