Treatment of tuberculosis

With appropriate antibiotic treatment, TB can be cured in more than nine out of 10 patients.

Antibiotics

Several different antibiotic drugs are given in combination for TB for at least 6 months, sometimes for 12 months or more.

Resistance to treatment

Some strains of TB are resistant to a range of drugs (multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)).
Treatment of MDR-TB requires the use of special TB drugs for up to 2 years.
However, the success rates of treatment in patients with MDR-TB are usually not as high as in patients infected by bacteria that are sensitive to treatment.

Treatment resistant TB

The increasing resistance of M. tuberculosis is currently a major concern.
Two types of treatment resistance can be found in TB-infected patients:
1. Resistance in patients newly infected with highly resistant TB strains, which is uncommon in most European regions.
2. Resistance in previously treated patients; this develops because of non-adherence to treatment, insufficient prescriptions, inadequate healthcare systems, insufficient drug supply, etc., which is very common, particularly in Eastern Europe.

Prevention of TB

The most effective means of prevention of TB in the community is the identification and treatment of infected individuals.

Treatment of latent TB infection can also prevent the development of active TB.

In those parts of the world where the disease is common, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants receive BCG vaccine, which may prevent TB from developing. However, its efficacy is only 50% over approximately 10 years.

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