Risk Factors
This group of people, whose immune systems are weakened by a virus that attacks CD4 cells, are at significantly higher risk for developing active TB.
What are people living with HIV/AIDS?
Along with night sweats and weight loss, this is a classic systemic sign of TB.
What is fever?
The nurse performs this action before and after caring for a TB patient as the most basic and important infection control measure.
What is hand washing?
The nurse instructs the TB patient to cover their mouth and nose with this when coughing or sneezing to reduce the spread of airborne droplets.
What is tissue or mask?
This condition, caused by the body's inability to regulate blood sugar, makes individuals 2–3 times more likely to progress from latent to active TB.
What is diabetes mellitus?
A nurse suspects TB in a patient who has had a productive cough lasting longer than this many weeks.
What is 3 weeks?
When entering the room of a patient with active TB, the nurse must wear this specific type of respiratory protection to filter airborne droplet nuclei.
What is an N95 respirator?
The nurse counsels a patient that the standard course of TB treatment lasts a minimum of this many months even after feeling better, to ensure complete eradication of the bacteria.
What is 6 months?
This immunosuppressive treatment, commonly used after organ transplantation to prevent rejection, significantly raises the risk of TB reactivation by suppressing the T-cell response needed to contain Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
What are corticosteroids/immunosuppressive medications?
This type of imaging is used to identify abnormal areas of the lung.
What is a chest x-ray?
The nurse assesses the TB patient's home environment for these two factors that could increase transmission risk to household contacts.
What is poor ventilation and overcrowding?
The nurse emphasizes that taking TB medication every single day without missing a dose is critical because inconsistent use can lead to this outcome where the bacteria become harder to kill.
What is drug resistant?