Tuberculosis deaths are down, but drug-resistance risk is up, study says

Good news from PLoS One, the Baltimore Sun reports -- cases of tuberculosis are falling because of effective prevention measures, but the risk of drug-resistant TB is going up.

Tuberculosis isn’t as common as, say, pneumonia, but it’s a brutal disease that affects the lungs and may even harm the brain, kidneys and spine. It tends to attack those with weakened immune systems: drug abusers, migrant farm workers, the homeless, the elderly.

Luckily there are plenty of resources out there to find out if you have it and how to fight it: The Mayo Clinic provides some basic information and resources, including a list of TB symptoms, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a fact-sheet on drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Click to read the full post at the Baltimore Sun’s Picture of Health blog: “TB cases decline, but drug-resistant TB now a risk.”

-- Amina Khan / Los Angeles Times

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