Whats the difference between TB, multi-drug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB?
TB is usually treated with a six- to nine-month course of anti-TB drugs. If the patient is given the right drugs and takes them for the prescribed time, TB is cured. If not, the bacteria can become resistant, and depending on the degree of resistance, can be classified as multi-drug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant. When it’s resistant to at least the two most potent anti-TB drugs, it’s considered multi-drug-resistant, or MDR-TB. If MDR-TB is not properly treated, it can become additionally resistant to some of the second-choice drugs. This is extensively drug-resistant, or XDR-TB. Drug-resistant TB can require daily medications, including multiple pills and shots, for up to two years. Q: Can someone catch drug-resistant TB? A: Yes. Drug-resistant TB can occur in a person who had improperly treated TB or who never had TB before but caught a drug-resistant strain. Q: Are MDR-TB and XDR-TB curable? A: Yes, if doctors are able to figure out which antibiotics are effective in time.
