Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of David Goehring. If you have a constant or occasional sensation of noise in your ears, you may suffer from the hearing impairment condition known as tinnitus. It is a symptom of an underlying condition that affects nearly 36 million Americans.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections do not have symptoms, known as latent tuberculosis. About 10% of latent infections progress to active disease which, if left untreated, kills about half of those infected.
Latent TB infection and TB disease. The bacteria that cause TB is spread through the air from person to person. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.There are two types of TB conditions: latent TB infection and TB disease.eople with TB disease usually have symptoms and may spread TB bacteria to others. A cough lasting 3 weeks or longer is a symptom of TB disease. People with latent TB infection do not have symptoms, but may still need treatment. TB bacteria most commonly grow in the lungs, and can cause symptoms such as: