Can tuberculosis be cured?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Dong Xuan Ha - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Lymph node tuberculosis is a fairly common type of tuberculosis. The disease affects both men and women, especially children. Tuberculosis usually appears in places such as: neck, armpit, groin. To know if there is a risk of lymph node tuberculosis, it is necessary to determine the type of tuberculosis.

Lymph node tuberculosis is a fairly common type of tuberculosis. The disease affects both men and women, especially children. Tuberculosis usually appears in places such as: neck, armpit, groin.

To know if there is a risk of lymph node tuberculosis, it is necessary to determine the type of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is divided into 3 types:
common lymphadenitis, lymphadenitis and peri-lymph node inflammation, tumor type With each different form, the disease will have different manifestations.
Common lymphadenitis: lesions in the teeth, mouth, nose... create conditions for TB bacteria to easily penetrate, reside there and cause tuberculosis. Usually lymphadenitis is very small (the size of a grain of rice, or a grain of corn...) and is mixed in the surrounding tissues. When the lymph nodes are palpable on the skin, then the lymph nodes are already enlarged. Inflammation of the lymph nodes is usually painless to palpation, and the lymph nodes grow slowly (for many months) and are tender. How long it takes to treat tuberculosis depends on the type of TB. Inflammation of the lymph nodes and inflammation around the lymph nodes (infectious lymphadenitis): When the lymph nodes are swollen, red, painful to the touch, the pain is reduced by antibiotics, and the lymph node volume decreases gradually, it is an inflammatory lymph node infection. Or lymph nodes if the swelling sometimes decreases, sometimes the pain is not, it may be an inflamed lymph node due to a common infection. Tumor lymph nodes: If the lymph nodes are hard, large and fast-growing, and the base of the lymph nodes has spread like a tree's roots into surrounding tissues, there is a risk that this is a cancerous lymph node or a cancerous metastasis.

People with tuberculosis in general and lymph node TB in particular must be diagnosed in order to properly identify TB and prescribe appropriate treatment at specialized TB facilities. Lymph node tuberculosis can be treated with both medical and surgical:
Medical treatment: Patients must follow the doctor's treatment, which is to take anti-tuberculosis drugs, at the right dose, in the right amount of time and not miss any any dose. After the 2nd or 3rd month of the induction phase, and the 5th and 8th months of the maintenance phase, the patient must have sputum re-test. However, it should be noted that after using anti-tuberculosis drugs for a few weeks, the disease shows signs of remission, the patient feels better, eats better and may gain weight, however, the disease is still not completely cured. completely and need to continue treatment for a full 8 months. The duration of treatment for lymph node tuberculosis depends on whether the patient has stopped treatment or not. If the patient voluntarily stops taking the drug before 8 months, stops the treatment when the signs of the disease are in remission, not only will the disease not be cured, but the disease will also quickly recur. More dangerously, TB bacteria will become resistant to the drug, making treatment more difficult in the future.
Surgical treatment: Tuberculosis of the lymph nodes can also be treated by surgical removal of the lymph nodes, applied to cases of tuberculous lymph node lymphoma, non-purulent tuberculosis, in the localized, mobile stage.

Lymph node tuberculosis can be cured with four basic anti-TB drugs. However, whether it is medical treatment or surgical treatment, in order for treatment to be effective, the most important thing is that the patient must absolutely follow the doctor's instructions. When taking the drug, it is necessary to drink it fully, do not arbitrarily stop using the drug too soon or when the symptoms of lymph node TB disappear.
Whether tuberculosis is curable depends on each person's resistance. Good health care, ensuring adequate nutrition, scientific activities, limiting alcohol and beer will help the body strengthen resistance. When resistance is low, it will create conditions for tuberculosis to develop.