What are the causes of Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is currently the second most important infectious disease in the world, being one of the causes of many deaths. In this article we will review what tuberculosis is and what its causes are. We invite you to keep reading and be able to find out about this disease.

Tuberculosis, as we mentioned in the previous paragraph, is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Doing a bit of history, this disease was discovered by Robert Koch and because of this it is also called Koch's bacillus. This person was able to sample the phlegm of infected people and was able to determine that it was a contagious disease.

The tuberculosis bacteria usually lodge in the lungs, however this is not the only place where it settles. That is why there are different types of this disease, including the so-called localized tuberculosis, in which the bacteria, in addition to being in the lung, can be found in the skin, kidney, stomach and, in the worst case, in the brain producing the so-called tuberculous meningitis.

The other type is the so-called disseminated tuberculosis in which the bacteria travel through the blood and thus manages to reach all parts of the body. This is the most serious and severe type of tuberculosis since several organs are affected, although it is also the least common because it only affects people with low or no immune system.

The problem of tuberculosis is very serious and requires that medical treatment be started as soon as possible, otherwise the bacteria will develop and the state of the infection will worsen. It is possible to cure, but to achieve it, the treatment indicated by the doctor must be strictly followed.