Tuberculosis
An active tuberculosis infection needs to be diagnosed and treated quickly if the patient is to avoid fatal complications. If medical professionals fail to initiate antibiotic treatment in time, causing the patient to suffer injury, there could be a case of medical negligence.
If you or your loved one has experienced substandard medical care for tuberculosis, please get in touch with us at Glynns Solicitors. We specialise in medical negligence claims and will advise whether you are entitled to compensation.
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that is caused by a type of bacteria called the Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There are two broad categories of tuberculosis: pulmonary tuberculosis and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.
Pulmonary tuberculosis affects the lungs. This is by far the most common form of TB, and is associated with a persistent cough with bloody phlegm. Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis occurs outside the lungs. It can develop almost anywhere in the body, such as the lymph nodes, bladder or bones.
TB can also spread around the body in the bloodstream. This is called miliary tuberculosis.
How do you get tuberculosis?
TB is a bacterial infection that is spread from person to person. You get it when someone with TB coughs or sneezes, expelling droplets into the atmosphere which contain the bacteria. These are inhaled by someone else, who can then develop the illness.
TB is therefore very similar to a cold, which is also spread from person to person. However, TB is not as contagious as a cold, and normally you have to be around someone with TB for a matter of months before catching it. Pulmonary tuberculosis is also much more infectious than extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.
Nevertheless, not everyone who inhales the TB bacteria will develop the condition. In healthy people the immune system will actually kill the foreign bodies, quashing the infection.
In others, the bacteria will just lie dormant inside the body and will not cause any symptoms. This is called latent TB. A large percentage of people with latent TB will never experience any further problems. But around 10% will develop 'active' TB at a later stage in their life, usually because their immune system has been weakened by illness or medical treatment, thereby giving the bacteria can opportunity to develop.
Who gets TB?
Anyone can get TB. It is more prevalent in places such as India, Pakistan, South East Asia and South America. However, TB is also on the increase in the UK, largely because more people are travelling between the UK and other TB-prone countries.
As mentioned above, healthy individuals can fight off TB without becoming unwell. Those with a weakened immune system are more at risk of getting the infection, as are people who spend a prolonged time with a person/people who have TB.
You are more at risk of contracting tuberculosis if you are:
- In contact with a person/people who have TB for weeks or months
- Living, or have lived, in a country with high rates of TB
- Have an illness that suppresses the immune system, such as HIV
- Having treatment that suppresses the immune system, such as chemotherapy
- Have a drug or alcohol addiction
- Are pregnant
- Are a young child or you are elderly
Symptoms of tuberculosis
The symptoms of pulmonary TB are:
- A cough that lasts more than three weeks
- Coughing up phlegm and blood
- Breathlessness
- No appetite and weight loss
- Feeling very tired
- Night sweats
The symptoms of extra-pulmonary TB will be different and will vary depending upon the site of infection. For example, if TB develops in the abdomen the patient may display a fever, a tender abdomen, bowel obstruction, sickness and weakness.
Diagnosing tuberculosis
It is not particularly easy to diagnose tuberculosis, although there are a number of tests that can help doctors discover the underlying problem.
A patient's symptoms are particularly important in the diagnostic process, as they should be recognised as being indicative of TB and further investigations ordered. Suspicions should be especially raised if the patient is from, or has travelled to, a country with high rates of TB. Suspicions should also be raised if a patient has other factors that make them more at risk of TB, such as homelessness, living with TB sufferers or immuno-suppression.
If a patient has symptoms that are suggestive of pulmonary TB, he/she will need a chest x-ray to check for abnormalities such as lesions, cavities or fluid. Sputum (which is a mixture of saliva and spit) should be sent to the laboratory for testing. The findings of these tests, along with the patient's symptoms, should lead medical practitioners to the correct diagnosis.
Extra-pulmonary TB will require further tests. As extra-pulmonary TB can develop in different places across the body, the tests needed will depend upon the patient's symptoms. This can range from an MRI scan to an endoscopy.
Treating tuberculosis
Tuberculosis needs to be treated with a long course of antibiotics that may last between six and 12 months. Tuberculosis can be cured but only if it is treated in time, and the full course of antibiotics is taken.
This seems like a very long time and it can be tempting to stop taking the medication, particularly if the symptoms have disappeared. However, it is necessary to take the full course prescribed as it is the only way to ensure the bacteria are destroyed. Otherwise they could remain in the body and develop in active TB once again.
Failing to diagnose and treat tuberculosis
Antibiotic treatment needs to be started before the patient has become too unwell. If there is any delay in administering antibiotics, the patient will deteriorate and may not survive.
If the delay is caused by medical errors – for instance, tuberculosis was not diagnosed and treatment was not commenced when a patient first presented – there could be a case of medical negligence.
This is because had treatment been given when the patient began to show symptoms of TB, it is likely that he/she would been saved further pain and suffering. In fatal cases, it may be likely that the patient would have survived, and would have avoided a painful death.
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If you would like to speak to a solicitor about claiming compensation for tuberculosis, please get in touch with us today. Whether the potential claim relates to you or your loved one, we will be able to provide expert legal advice.
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