Causes of tuberculosis

Causes of tuberculosis

The cause is a specific bacterium: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is not caused by cold weather, diet, or "weakness" itself - those only influence who falls sick after exposure.

How it spreads: through air. When a person with active, untreated lung TB coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings, they release invisible droplet nuclei containing the bacteria. Others breathing the same air - especially in closed, crowded, poorly ventilated rooms - can inhale them. TB does NOT spread by sharing food, utensils, clothes, touch or toilets. Sunlight and ventilation kill and disperse the bacteria; closed damp rooms favour spread.

Infection vs disease - the crucial distinction: many people inhale TB bacteria and never fall ill. The immune system walls them off - this is latent TB infection, with no symptoms and no spread to others. The bacteria can sleep for years. Disease develops when immunity slips:

• Malnutrition and underweight - the biggest driver in India
• Diabetes - significantly raises TB risk
• Weakened immunity - HIV, steroids, cancer treatment, kidney failure
• Smoking - damages lung defences and doubles TB risk
• Crowded living, poor ventilation - increases exposure dose
• Silica dust exposure (mining, stone cutting)

Reactivation: latent TB can reactivate years later during illness, ageing or immunosuppression - one reason TB appears in elderly people with no recent contact.

Remember: TB is airborne from untreated patients; strong immunity is the wall - nutrition, diabetes control and no smoking keep it standing.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive)

Ayurveda attributes such disease to depleted strength (ojas) - conceptually close to the immunity story, but the specific cause is the bacterium, and diagnosis is by sputum testing.