Phthisiatrician
A phthisiatrician is a doctor who detects, treats and prevents tuberculosis.
In addition, a phthisiatrician treats leprosy and sarcoidosis. If a patient has a risk of developing tuberculosis or other pathologies associated with it, he must definitely consult a phthisiatrician.
As a branch of medicine, physiology studies the etiology of the onset of the disease, the mechanisms of its spread, complications that are formed under the influence of the disease. In addition, phthisiology is developing modern methods of treating the disease and measures for the rehabilitation of people who have been ill.
The phthisiatrician is engaged in the detection and treatment of the disease in specialized institutions, such as dispensaries, offices and sanatoriums of the appropriate focus. If necessary, the patient is referred to other specialists for the diagnosis and treatment of concomitant diseases.
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Content:
- Organs for which the phthisiatrician is responsible
- What are the symptoms to go to a phthisiatrician?
- Phthisiatrician: diagnostic methods
- General information about tuberculosis
- Appointment to phthisiatrician
Organs for which the phthisiatrician is responsible
Most often, the disease affects the pulmonary system, however, the inclusion of other organs in the pathological process is not excluded. To be more precise, there is not a single organ in the human body that could not infect tuberculosis: bones and joints, peritoneal organs, intestines, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, genitourinary system - everything is vulnerable to disease.
The method of excretion of pathological agents into the external environment will also depend on which organ was affected: feces, urine, sputum, blood, semen, tears, breast milk, etc.
What are the symptoms to go to a phthisiatrician?
In childhood, contacting a doctor requires a positive Mantoux reaction.
In adulthood, the following symptoms should alert:
- Painful sensations in the sternum;
- Persistent cough for three weeks;
- Loss of appetite
- Excreted sputum and mucus when coughing;
- Loss of body weight for no objective reason;
- Often coughing up blood;
- Sweating, especially when resting at night
- Malaise and increased weakness;
- Increase in body temperature at regular intervals.
It often happens that patients with an open form of the disease do not know about the presence of such a pathology, since it does not give any symptoms. As a result, people do not receive treatment and infect the surrounding population.
Phthisiatrician: diagnostic methods
Before you go to see this specialist, you need to go through some training. Often, the patient is offered to undergo an X-ray examination, a general blood test.
The doctor himself will offer the patient the following diagnostic methods:
- Mantoux test.
- Sowing for microbiological examination of this or that material - pus, sputum, urine, flushing water from the bronchi, etc.
- Liver tests.
- Culture of urine.
- Eye examination when using ethambutol.
In addition to these specific research methods, the patient can be sent for MRI, CT, for the collection of cerebrospinal fluid, for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
The doctor finds out the complaints of the patient, collects information about his lifestyle, about his past, about past illnesses. After receiving the necessary information, the doctor determines which diagnostic methods are applicable for a particular patient.
General information about tuberculosis
In order not to get infected with this dangerous disease, it is necessary to maintain your immunity in the norm. If this system functions well, then it will not be difficult for the body to cope with Koch's bacillus.
Firstly, you need to adhere to proper nutrition, take vitamins, play sports and temper. Secondly, imprisonment is an additional risk of infection.
Often, patients either deliberately evade treatment or are unaware of their status. While a bacterium can maintain its ability to exist in the external environment for a long time, for example, it will not die in street dust for 10 days, and if it is not exposed to the sun, this period will significantly increase and can reach several months.
For infection to occur, you just need to inhale air containing phlegm or saliva. Infection will occur when a certain number of microorganisms are inhaled. The length of stay with a sick person in the same room also affects the infection, which is why cases of infection in prison conditions are so frequent. Air does not circulate there; unsanitary conditions often prevail.
By shaking hands, transmission of the disease is impossible. However, where the air is motionless, the risk of infection increases even from tactile contact.
You can also get sick by eating foods with Koch's stick. Therefore, you should not buy dairy products, meat in a place where it has not passed the appropriate test. In this case, there is no guarantee that infection will not occur.
In order to prevent the spread of the disease, it is necessary for adults to do fluorography every year, and children to have a Mantoux test.
Read more: Tuberculosis - the first signs, symptoms, diagnostic methods and how is it transmitted?
