Tuberculosis (TB)
Minority Women's Health > Hispanic Americans/Latinas > Health Topics > Tuberculosis (TB)
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that can affect any part of your body, but it usually attacks your lungs. TB is spread through the air. If someone with TB of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes, people nearby who breathe in the bacteria can get TB. If your body can't stop the bacteria from growing, you will develop TB disease. If this happens and the TB is in the lungs, it can cause these symptoms:
- a bad cough that won't go away (with blood or phlegm)
- chest pain
- fatigue (feeling very tired)
- weight loss
- loss of appetite
- chills
- fever
- night sweats
If you think you may have TB, see your doctor right away. TB can be treated and cured.
In 2005, Hispanics/Latinos accounted for one out of every four new cases of TB in the U.S. The TB rate in Hispanics/Latinos is about eight times higher than it is in whites. Minorities, including Hispanics/Latinos, tend to have more TB risk factors than whites. TB risk factors include lower economic status and HIV infection.
Resources in English
Recursos en español
Current as of December 2007
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