Pregnant Women More Vulnerable Taxable 70% of TB

Pregnant Women More Vulnerable Taxable 70% of TB

Germs Tuberculosis (TB) is highly contagious, especially when the immune system weakens. One cause of decreased immune system is pregnancy, which makes the risk of contracting tuberculosis rose 70 percent to 6 months after delivery.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory mengugnkap, the risk of transmission of TB rose 70 percent during pregnancy until 6 months after delivery. Therefore, the midwives are encouraged to be alert to symptoms of tuberculosis in these times.

The study, involving 190 000 women was conducted in a fairly long period, namely 12 years. In that period, there were 15.4 cases of transmission of TB per 100,000 participants in the group of pregnant and after giving birth while in general the average number is only 9.1.

Believed, the increased risk during pregnancy and after delivery occurs due to decreased immune system. Not only tuberculosis, in these times of hormonal changes experienced by women composition makes it prone to all kinds of germs.

Related to these findings, the Health Protection Agency has called for the midwives across the UK to be alert to any symptoms that indicate tuberculosis infection in pregnant women. Symptoms of TB infection include cough that does not heal up more than 3 weeks.

"TB is preventable and treatable, but the result is fatal if left alone," said Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar, a TB researcher at the University of East Anglia when commenting on such an appeal as quoted from Dailymail, Friday (12/09/2011).

TB treatment usually takes a very long time, between 6-9 months. Many patients did not complete treatment because they feel bored, then trigger resistance or immunity TB germs that it took other drugs more powerful and expensive to turn it off.