RKI doctors worried about tuberculosis disorders

RKI: Warning about multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

03/17/2014

Tuberculosis is still one of the most dangerous infectious diseases worldwide, although it is actually curable. In Germany, the number of tuberculosis patients is hardly decreasing and multidrug-resistant diseases even increase slightly.

The number of tuberculosis patients has barely dropped in years
On the occasion of the World Tuberculosis Day 2014 on March 24, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin points out that the number of tuberculosis sufferers in Germany is hardly falling any further. And in case of multidrug-resistant diseases, the number of cases even increases slightly. A total of 4,220 tuberculosis were reported to the RKI in 2012 compared to 4,317 the year before. Thus, the number of cases drops barely for the fourth year in a row. The number of cases had decreased significantly in the years before each year. According to the Institute, a total of 146 patients died of tuberculosis in 2012 (144 in 2011). The number of tuberculosis in children, which have risen steadily since 2009, remained unchanged from 2011, with 178 cases in 2012, according to the 2012 data.

Diseases increased by multidrug-resistant strains
A worrying trend is that the proportion of diseases due to multidrug-resistant strains has increased. In 2012, it is 2.3 percent (65 cases) higher than the average of the previous 5 years (2007-2011: 1.9 percent). At least the most important two standard drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin, are ineffective in multi-drug resistance. In particular, these infections with multidrug-resistant pathogens are dangerous. „The current development in resistant tuberculosis requires special vigilance“, so the RKI in his annual report. RKI President Reinhard Burger called for intensified joint efforts in early detection and prevention.

Numbers in metropolitan areas and large cities above average
About half of the tuberculosis patients in Germany, according to the institute, come from abroad. Accordingly, most patients come from Turkey, Romania or Russia. The RKI also pointed out that the number of reported cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in metropolitan areas and large cities is above the national average of 5.2. Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are the federal states with the most new cases per inhabitant. The few new cases per inhabitant were found in Thuringia, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.

Tuberculosis is usually treated with antibiotics
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that primarily affect the lungs. If it is not a multidrug-resistant pathogen, the disease can usually be treated with antibiotics. The disease, also known as tuberculosis, causes various symptoms such as persistent cough, chronic fatigue, weight loss, fever with nocturnal sweat attacks or chest pain. Untreated tuberculosis causes death in most cases. According to the RKI, about 8.6 million people worldwide contracted tuberculosis in 2012. (Sb)