Mankind knew what tuberculosis was before the birth of Christ. In the II millennium BC, during the reign of Hammurabi in Babylon, a divorce was allowed with women suffering from consumption.
At one time, Hippocrates described in detail the main signs of pulmonary tuberculosis. Unfortunately, Hippocrates pointed out the root cause of this disease of the disease incorrectly, since he believed that tuberculosis is a hereditary disease that occurs due to excessive mucus formation in the human body. Avicenna also dealt with the problem of tuberculosis, which indicated that the disease is transmitted from person to person and that the development of tuberculosis is mainly affected by the external environment.
Before, it was customary to call tuberculosis consumptive, hence the name of this disease “phthisiology” (from the Greek. "Phthisis" - consumptive). As you know, tuberculosis is a dangerous infectious disease caused by pathogens of tuberculosis - mycobacteria. Tuberculosis is characterized by the formation in the body of one or more foci of inflammation that can develop in various organs, but more often this disease affects the lung tissue.
The infectious nature of such a serious illness as tuberculosis was first proven in the 19th century. This discovery was made in 1882 by the German Robert Koch, who not only explained in detail what tuberculosis was, but also revealed the type of microbacteria that cause it.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, unlike other types of microbes, is unusually tenacious: this bacterium feels excellent both in snow and in the ground, it is resistant to acids and alcohol. It is possible to destroy a bacterium only for a long time by acting on it with high temperatures or chlorine-containing substances. Also, this variety of microbacteria does not tolerate exposure to direct sunlight.
Almost every one of us in childhood, or as a teenager, “receives” various mycobacteria from the external environment, but this does not lead to the occurrence of tuberculosis. "Weak" bacilli, which are unable to cause the disease, regularly stimulate and strengthen anti-tuberculosis immunity. In order to immunize, specially weakened mycobacteria are introduced into the human body, which are commonly known as BCG (Calmett-Guerin bacilli), which allows you to strengthen the protection against "aggressive" bacteria, the ingress of which often leads to disastrous consequences.
Infection with “aggressive” microbacteria often comes from a person suffering from an active form of the disease, who, sneezing, coughing and even just talking, spreads Koch’s sticks around him. Much less often, infection occurs with the use of dairy products obtained from animals infected with tuberculosis. Active development of the disease usually occurs in the presence of factors such as adverse living conditions (both social and environmental); the presence in the infected person of concomitant diseases (peptic ulcer, diabetes, lung disease); stress malnutrition. Various types of drug addiction, smoking and alcoholism lead to a sharp decrease in immunity, and, consequently, to the risk of contracting tuberculosis.
So, what is tuberculosis, and how does this disease develop? Once in the human body, Koch's wand leads to the formation of foci of inflammation in the lungs, as well as in the lymph nodes. This process is called primary tuberculosis. Over time, such foci can heal, but the microbacteria that are in them often turn into a kind of “dormant” state, and when suitable conditions arise, they begin to multiply actively.
Tuberculosis is a disease in the active form of which Koch's bacillus with blood and lymph can actively spread throughout the body. The disease can affect not only the lungs, but also other organs and tissues: bones, skin, eyes, intestines, genitourinary system, and meninges. However, today many people, even knowing what tuberculosis is, neglect annual fluorography and shy away from vaccination, and this, in turn, leads to the fact that the number of people suffering from this terrible disease is rampant.