Treatment Recommended

• Rest

• Antibiotic therapy

• Fresh air

• Nourishing food

BEWARE !

• Too much fat should be avoided as it frequently causes gastric upsets and diarrhoea

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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease and is one of the major cause of illness and death in the underdeveloped countries, as well as the deprived sections of developed countries. Malnutrition resulting from poverty and ignorance combined with unhygienic living conditions and poor sanitation makes an individual susceptible to the infection. 

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria most often affects the lungs leading to pulmonary tuberculosis. The infection may be localized in other organs like lymph nodes or kidneys or may be generalized.

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DIETARY MANAGEMENT

During the acute stage of illness when fever is high, high protein, high energy, full fluid diet is given. As improvement occurs, this diet is progressed to a soft and then a regular diet.

Most patients have a poor appetite. Meals should be made simple, easily digestible, well prepared and tempting to encourage the patient to eat. 

Force-feeding   the patient to gain extra weight  is known to be more harmful than advantageous. Too much food specially fat, frequently causes gastric upsets and diarrhoea.

If the patient has a poor appetite, he should be administered a 6 meal pattern.

Diet for a tuberculosis patient is essentially a normal diet with emphasis on proper selection of food.

All meals should have cereal - pulse combination with some amount of animal protein. Example 

• Khichri with curd 
• Sweet dalia with milk
• Paushtic chapattis with curd

Cheap sources of vitamin C, such as guava, amla, sprouted pulses must be given. Seasonal vegetables must be amply provided. 

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Early stage symptoms

• Marked rise in body temperature 
• Flushed face
• Increase circulation and respiration
• Constant fatigue
• Loss of weight
• Cough
• General rundown condition

• In tuberculosis, there is a considerable wasting of body tissues. Therefore, it is essential to increase protein intake in the form of cereal and pulse combination.
• Include a liberal amount of calcium in your diet to promote healing of tuberculin lesions. 
• If a patient suffers from hemorrhages, high iron supplementation is necessary.
• The diet should provide as much retinol as possible (as conversion of beta-carotene to retinol in the intestinal mucosa is adversely affected) by giving milk, milk products, eggs and meat.
• Tuberculosis being an infectious disease results in increased urinary loss of ascorbic acid. As ascorbic acid helps in healing, additional amounts of ascorbic acid is therefore recommended in the diet in the form of guava, amla, orange, lemon and sprouted pulses. 

Do You Know?

Tuberculosis leads to

• Wasting of tissues
• Exhaustion
• Cough
• Expectoration
• Fever

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