Tuberculosis Menigitis

Marian Sue Pense, a beautiful little 22 month old girl, with curly blonde hair, came into our world as a half-sister in August,1956. My step-grandfather had tuberculosis, and my paternal grandmother always told my brother and I to stay outside and keep our distance from Mr. Clarke. Of course, the was our step-mother's dad, and she wanted to visit him and take the baby to visit. We took so many TB tests, always negative, that I felt like a pin cushion. My little sister had to take them to. Then my dad died May 29, 1958, and my paternal grandmother was totally lost. He was her only child.Marian Sue became really ill on July 4, 1958, while we were all drinking chocolate milk and watching a few fireworks. They took her to the hospital, and kept her. The doctors could not figure out exactly what was wrong, because when they asked my step-mom if she had ever been exposed to TB, she answered no. When asked if she had taken TB tests, and what were the results, she replied they were all negative.My grandmother said many times she wished she had reported that my step-mom had lied to the doctors, but she just wasn't thinking clearly so soon after Daddy's death. A friend of my grandmother and grandfather, saw them one day at the hospital, where he was on staff, and asked who they were there to see. They told him Marian Sue Pense. He then told them if someone, anyone, had just told them early enough that the baby had been exposed to TB, they could have done more than just treat the menegitis they thought she had. Marian Sue died on July 22, 1958. This illness took her so rapidly. Please, if you have been exposed to, or have a positive test , don't be ashamed; do something. Tell people the truth. That is so much less painful than lying and loosing someone to this killer disease.

• Respiratory Conditions: TB


• Ali and Hayley


• Around 7000 cases reported each year.


• TB is a worldwide problem


• Males/ Females are equally likely to get TB


• Early childhood, young adult or old men


• TB is not highly infectious. It usually requires prolonged contact with the infected person. However, some factors can raise the risk of contracting the disease.
  1.Close proximity, ie. living in close quarters, or visiting crowded places.
  2. Age- Early childhood or puberty.
  4. Economic conditions- poverty enhances suseptability due to crowded conditions, poor nutrition and poor health care.
  5. Other diseases such as HIV. A weak immune system increases the chances of contracting TB. People suffering from Diabetes or kidney failure are also more susceptible to it.
  6. Homelessness- lack of warmth and shelter increases risk
  7. Alcoholics and Injection drug users are at a higher risk.
  8. Living in a developing country- some have vaccines, but they are not available to all.
  


• The bacteria tubercle bacillus found by Robert Koch causes a bacterial infection. It is spread through droplets in the air, by someone with the disease coughing or sneezing.


• It can take many years to develop the full disease. There are two types-
  1. Primary TB causes illness soon after exposure.
  2. Reactivation TB causes disease many years after exposure as the organism remains in the lungs, dormant.
  The symptoms are:
  Coughing Blood
  Tiredness
  Weight loss
  Dry pleurisy
  Alteration of temperament
  Digestive disturbance
  Weakness
  Fever
  Shortness of breath
  
  TB mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body such as the brain, kidney or spine, causing many different symptoms.


• Tuberculosis menigitis can be fatal within three to six weeks. This is what Marian Sue developed


• Prognosis long term


• TB can be totally cured, but is potentially life threatening if not recognised.
  
  If caught early enough can be treated with chemo, the chemo can cause hair loss, fertility loss and tiredness.


• Management & treatment by Team


• Can be treated by chemotherapy or antibiotics. The antibiotic course must last at least 6 months. TB can develop strains reisitant to antibiotics, which can cause a very serious disease called Multi-Drug Resistant TB. This can still be treated with certain drugs.
  Can be vaccinated against with the BCG vaccine, however HIV positive people cannot have it as it can cause a disease similar to TB.


• Management & treatment by Occupational Thearapy


• Help people get back to work after so long away or back to school.
  Home assessments, and analysis of activities. Recognition of pscychological effects of the disease, and recommendation of treatments.


• >Management & treatment by Physiotherapy


• Treatments to regain strength lost during the disease.
  Rehabilitation programs.
  
  
  

  References 1



• Shaw.C Tuberculosis (1955)Gerald Duckworth & Co. LTD


• Novartis Foundation Symposium (1998) John Wiley & Sons


• Farmer.P Infections & Inequalities (1999) University of California Press
  
  
  

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