What is tuberculosis? Tuberculosis is a common infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and can occur anywhere in the body, most commonly in the lungs, called pulmonary tuberculosis. What are the symptoms of tuberculosis? The main symptoms of TB are cough, sputum, blood in the sputum, some people may have low fever, night sweats, chest pain, poor appetite, fatigue and weight loss. If left untreated, TB can affect your health, work, and life, and can be life-threatening; it can also infect your family and friends. How is tuberculosis transmitted? When a person with tuberculosis coughs, sputum, sneezes or speaks loudly, droplets with tuberculosis bacilli are spread into the air and can be inhaled by people around them and become infected. What are the main tests to diagnose tuberculosis? The main tests for tuberculosis are sputum smear and chest imaging. If drug resistance is suspected, further tests are required. How is tuberculosis treated? Immediately after diagnosis of tuberculosis, medication should be taken in combination with multiple drugs without interruption for 6-8 months, and any change in treatment should be decided through the doctor. Patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis need to be treated for 20-30 months. What are the most commonly used drugs? The most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs currently used to treat TB include rifampin, isoniazid, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, and streptomycin. Can tuberculosis be cured? Most patients with tuberculosis can be cured by adhering to regular treatment. What are the ways to manage medication during treatment? Tuberculosis treatment is long (6-8 months) and has many adverse effects, so medication management is required. For drug-resistant TB patients, the entire supervised chemotherapy regimen is administered under the direct supervision of medical staff.