Treatment FAQ

what happens if a patient refuses tb treatment

by Stephen Jaskolski Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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However, patients who refuse to comply with prescribed TB treatment may be isolated until they no longer pose any risk to the public.

Full Answer

What happens when a TB patient fails treatment?

Fewer than three drugs can result in the development of drug resistant TB. If a patient is failing their treatment this means that they are either developing TB symptoms again, or their symptoms are not going away at all. If this happens then a doctor should be consulted about changing the drugs.

What happens if only one TB drug is taken?

If only one or two drugs are taken, then the TB treatment probably won't work. It is possible that the six month length of treatment could soon be reduced to four months. A recent trial has shown that a four month treatment regimen using rifapentine is just as effective as a six month regimen.

What are the causes of TB drug treatment failure?

Patients – as a cause of TB drug treatment failure: Lack of information, Lack of money for treatment and/or transport, Actual or presumed side effects, Lack of commitment to a long course of drugs, Malabsorption, Social barriers.

Can surgery be used to treat TB?

TB treatment can cure most people who have TB, using a combination of the different drugs available for TB treatment. Now that drugs are available surgery is rarely used as treatment for TB.

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What if a TB patient refuses treatment?

If a person does not comply with the terms and conditions of his conditional discharge, he shall be subject to any of the procedures for involuntary treatment, including but not limited to the issuance of an order for protective custody.

What happens if TB treatment is delayed?

Background Treatment delay in patients with TB is associated with increased mortality and transmission of disease. However, it is not well described whether delay influences clinical severity at diagnosis. Previously reported risk factors for treatment delay vary in different geographical and cultural settings.

Can TB patient recover without treatment?

People ill with TB can infect up to 10-15 other people through close contact over the course of a year. Without proper treatment up to two thirds of people ill with TB will die. Since 2000, 53 million lives have been saved through effective diagnosis and treatment.

What happens if a person with TB stops taking their medication before they have completed the regimen even though they feel better?

If you stop taking your antibiotics before you complete the course or you skip a dose, the TB infection may become resistant to the antibiotics. This is potentially serious because it can be difficult to treat and will require a longer course of treatment with different, and possibly more toxic, therapies.

Can latent TB come back after treatment?

Even if you successfully beat tuberculosis, you can get tuberculosis infection again. In fact, TB reinfection is becoming more common. Tuberculosis is a potentially life-threatening, airborne bacterial infection that can be found worldwide.

Does latent TB go away by itself?

Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease. In these people, the TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime without causing disease.

What happens if I skip 1 day of TB treatment?

IF YOU FORGET TO TAKE YOUR MEDICINE: If it is still the same day, take the dose as soon as you remember. If the day has passed, skip the missed dose and take your next scheduled dose — do not take 2 doses at the same time.

What are the 3 stages of tuberculosis?

There are 3 stages of TB—exposure, latent, and active disease. A TB skin test or a TB blood test can diagnose the disease. Treatment exactly as recommended is necessary to cure the disease and prevent its spread to other people.

Can TB cause death?

A total of 1.5 million people died from TB in 2020 (including 214 000 people with HIV). Worldwide, TB is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 (above HIV/AIDS). In 2020, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide.

How long can you live with untreated TB?

Left untreated,TB can kill approximately one half of patients within five years and produce significant morbidity (illness) in others. Inadequate therapy for TB can lead to drug-resistant strains of M.

What happens if you stop taking rifampin?

If you don't take Rifampin, miss too many days, or stop taking the medicine before your doctor or nurse tells you to, you may become sick with active TB disease. It is important to kill TB germs so you and your family stay healthy.

Can TB be cured in 3 months?

After taking TB medicine for several weeks, a doctor will be able to tell TB patients when they are no longer able to spread TB germs to others. Most people with TB disease will need to take TB medicine for at least 6 months to be cured.

What is LTBI treatment?

The final two bullets address treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Treatment of LTBI is generally initiated after the possibility of TB disease is excluded, and has been proven to greatly reduce the risk that individuals latently infected with TB will progress to TB disease.

What is Utah Code Ann. 26-6-8?

A health care provider who treats an individual with suspected or confirmed tuberculosis shall treat the individual according to guidelines established by the department. Utah Code Ann. § 26-6-8 (LexisNexis 2009). Treatment and control.

What is direct observation therapy?

1) Health care providers may prescribe DOT as a method to monitor the adherence of a patient to his or her prescribed treatment for tuberculosis disease. Health care providers may utilize the Department’s TB Standards of Care as a guideline for appropriate utilization of DOT.

What is DOT in a medical setting?

Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) shall be the standard for treatment of persons determined to have active tuberculosis disease. Exceptions may be granted by the health officer when necessary and for cause. Tuberculosis treatment shall continue by DOT until a prescribed course of therapy has been completed. Okla.

What is the goal of a tuberculosis treatment plan?

The goal of the treatment plan is to achieve treatment to cure by the least restrictive means.

What are the barriers to treatment for TB?

Patients with TB often face issues that complicate and can act as barriers to treatment, such as substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, and lack of healthcare access. Effective case management may obviate the need for legal interventions.

What is the definition of hospitalization, placement, and residential isolation?

1) Subject to the provisions of subsections 2) and 3), the department may petition the circuit court to order a person who has active tuberculosis to be hospitalized, placed in another health care facility or residential facility, or isolated from the general public in the home as a result ...

How long can you be discharged for tuberculosis?

A person who is committed to a treatment facility for active tuberculosis may be conditionally discharged for a period of up to one year by the director, upon the recommendation of the state health officer or his designee, or by a court of competent jurisdiction after a hearing.

What is the purpose of the final bullet in Louisiana?

The final bullet is reported to be effective in Louisiana in ensuring a cure for patients who are discharged or released from confinement prior to completion of treatment.

What is confinement in a facility?

Confinement in a facility is generally considered to be the most restrictive TB control measure, but may be necessary when less restrictive alternatives have failed and confinement is the only way to assure that the patient is adherent (and may be the only way to cure the patient of TB) and the public’s health is adequately protected. The provisions in this section were specifically chosen because they are reportedly effective in the jurisdictions in which they are in place. The first two bullets are provisions from high incidence jurisdictions (New York City/California [California’s and NYC’s laws on detention are identical] and Florida, respectively), and the third bullet is Wisconsin’s confinement law, which was recently upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in In re Washington, 735 N.W.2d 111 (Wis. 2007). See Appendix B for more information on state cases related to TB prevention and control.

How long can a conditional discharge last?

The director, upon the recommendation of the state health officer or his designee, or the court may extend the conditional discharge of a person for a period of up to two years and the person may be required to report for outpatient treatment as a condition of his release.

What does it mean when someone has been counseled about tuberculosis?

That the person who has active tuberculosis has been counseled about the disease, the threat to the public health posed by tuberculosis, and methods to minimize the risk to the public, and, despite such counseling, indicates an intent by words or action to expose the public to active tuberculosis; and.

How long can you be confined to a hospital for tuberculosis?

1) The department or a local health officer may petition any court for a hearing to determine whether an individual with infectious or suspect tuberculosis should be confined for longer than 72 hours in a facility where proper care and treatment will be provided and spread of the disease will be prevented.

How many people with LTBI will develop TB?

While not everyone with LTBI will develop TB disease, about 5–10% will develop TB disease over their lifetimes if not treated. Progression from untreated LTBI to TB disease is estimated to account for approximately 80% of U.S. TB cases. Some people who have LTBI are more likely to develop TB disease than others.

How long does it take for TB to kill?

For TB disease, it takes even longer and at least 6 months for the medicines to kill all the TB germs.

What does a negative TB test mean?

A negative TB blood test means that your blood did not react to the test and that you likely do not have TB infection. TB blood tests are the recommended TB test for: People who have received the bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) TB vaccine.

How to get rid of TB in the air?

Put a fan in your window to blow out (exhaust) air that may be filled with TB germs. If you open other windows in the room, the fan also will pull in fresh air. This will reduce the chances that TB germs will stay in the room and infect someone who breathes the air. Remember, TB is spread through the air.

How does TB spread?

The TB germs are spread into the air when a person with infectious TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these TB germs and become infected. When a person breathes in TB germs, the TB germs can settle in the lungs and begin to grow.

What is the cause of TB?

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). The bacteria, or germ, usually attack the lungs. TB germs can attack any part of the body, such as the kidney, spine, or brain. There is good news. People with TB can be treated if they seek medical help.

Can LTBI spread to others?

People with LTBI do not have symptoms, and they cannot spread TB germs to others. However, if latent TB germs become active in the body and multiply, the person will go from having LTBI to being sick with TB disease. For this reason, people with LTBI should be treated to prevent them from developing TB disease.

Why does TB treatment fail?

It is often suggested that TB treatment fails because a patient doesn’t take their TB drugs correctly. However there can be a number of different reasons for TB treatment failure. It is certainly true that if a patient doesn’t take their TB drugs properly that this can lead to the development of drug resistant TB.

What happens if you take only one or two TB drugs?

If only one or two TB drugs are taken then only some of the bacteria may be killed. They may then become resistant to the TB drugs which then don't work. If the person becomes sick again then different TB drugs called second line drugs may be needed.

What are the best drugs for TB?

The drugs that a patient should take depends on whether the patient has ever had TB treatment before. If the patient has never had treatment before then it can be assumed that the bacteria in the patient's body will respond, and be sensitive to all the TB drugs. So the patient can then be given the following drugs: 1 Isoniazid 2 Rifampicin 3 Pyyrazinamide 4 & Ethambutol.

What is the responsibility of a doctor for TB?

A patient must take their drugs properly. But it is also the responsibility of the doctor to make sure that the patient has the correct drugs. The doctor must also explain to the patient how to take the drugs correctly. In many countries there are "alternative" medicines available.

How many drugs are there for TB?

There are more than twenty drugs available for TB treatment. Which ones have to be taken depends on the circumstances of the patient. If you are having TB treatment (sometimes known as antitubercular treatment or ATT), then this should always be supervised by an experienced doctor or other health person.

What is the DST for TB?

To decide what treatment patients need, the World Health Organisation (WHO) used to put patients into TB treatment categories. But with the increasing av ailability of drug susceptibility testing (DST), treatment categories were abolished, and DST is now used instead to decide on the treatment that patients need.

How long does TB treatment last?

For new patients with presumed drug susceptible pulmonary TB, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that they should have six months of treatment. This consists of a two month intensive phase followed by a four month continuation phase.

What is XDR TB?

Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB) is a rare type of MDR TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin). Treating and curing drug-resistant TB is complicated.

How long does it take to treat TB?

TB disease can be treated by taking several drugs for 6 to 9 months. There are 10 drugs currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating TB. Of the approved drugs, the first-line anti-TB agents that form the core of treatment regimens are: isoniazid (INH) rifampin (RIF)

How long does pyrazinamide last?

pyrazinamide (PZA) TB Regimens for Drug-Susceptible TB. Regimens for treating TB disease have an intensive phase of 2 months, followed by a continuation phase of either 4 or 7 months (total of 6 to 9 months for treatment). Drug Susceptible TB Disease Treatment Regimens. Regimens for treating TB disease have an intensive phase of 2 months, ...

What is it called when TB bacteria multiply?

When TB bacteria become active (multiplying in the body) and the immune system can’t stop the bacteria from growing, this is called TB disease. TB disease will make a person sick. People with TB disease may spread the bacteria to people with whom they spend many hours.

Can TB be treated?

It is very important that people who have TB disease are treated, finish the medicine, and take the drugs exactly as prescribed. If they stop taking the drugs too soon, they can become sick again; if they do not take the drugs correctly, the TB bacteria that are still alive may become resistant to those drugs.

What is common law in emergency settings?

In the first part of the case scenario, failure to act immediately and treat the tension pneumothorax would probably result in serious harm to the patient. In such situations there is clearly not sufficient time for a formal assessment of capacity and common law should be used. Common law is widely used in emergency settings, because there is rarely time for consent. Clinicians are often unaware that they are using it and that it is the legal defence of their actions. No specific documentation is needed when using common law. However, the MCA and MHA should be the default legal frameworks when the situation is not immediately life threatening. Box 2 lists the key principles of common law.

What is the purpose of MHA?

The MHA can be used only to treat patients with a mental disorder, including those due to physical health conditions (such as delirium). It can also only be used in situations where there is concern about patient’s health or safety, or the safety of others.

When acting against a patient's wishes, is the MCA used?

As a general rule, when acting against a patient’s wishes, the MCA is used to treat physical disorders that affect brain function and the MHA is used to treat primary mental (psychiatric) disorders. In part two of the case scenario the patient’s behaviour has changed.

Can a delirium patient use the MCA before the MHA?

Where possible, the MCA should be used before the MHA. In this case, it would also be appropriate to use the MHA to keep the patient on the ward to treat his mental disorder. If he refused treatment, ongoing treatment of his physical health conditions (femoral and pelvic fracture) would need to take place within the framework of the MCA.

What is the first step in a mental health case?

The first is to determine the urgency of treatment to see whether common law is applicable. The second is to determine what is being treated—a primary physical (organic) disorder or a primary mental (psychiatric) disorder. We will now explain how to work through these two steps as we look at the evolving case scenario.

When can MCA be used?

Summary points. Common law can be used to treat patients in emergencies, especially when the diagnosis is unclear. It allows necessary and proportionate restraint until Mental Capacity Act (MCA) or Mental Health Act (MHA) assessments are completed. The MCA can be used to restrain and treat patients without capacity (for a specific decision) ...

When is common law relevant?

Since implementation of the MCA, common law is now relevant only in emergency situations when there is insufficient time to assess an individual’s capacity. The MCA (box 1) was implemented in 2007 and codified (detailed) previous common law on the treatment of those without capacity.

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