Tuberculosis is an infection caused by mycobacteria. Initially, it affects the lungs, but other organs can then also be involved in the process. The treatment of this disease is usually conservative, while surgical methods are rarely used. In Germany, you can get rid of tuberculosis even in severe cases, including those with multidrug resistance of mycobacteria and concomitant HIV infection.
Content
- Chemotherapy
- Surgical treatment
The disease is treated with the help of pills. Some patients may also require surgical treatment.
You can undergo your treatment at the University Hospitals in Essen, Ulm, or Duesseldorf.
If you make your treatment appointment through the Booking Health service, we will take care of the arrangement for your trip to Germany. The specialists from the Booking Health company will help you to choose a hospital and a doctor, make an appointment without a long wait, help you to apply for a visa and prepare medical documents, and take care of your flights, transfers, and accommodation. In Germany, you will be accompanied by an interpreter, and a personal medical coordinator will advise on any questions that may arise.
Chemotherapy
The treatment of tuberculosis in Germany is based on chemotherapy. Doctors use drugs that:
- stop bacterial cell division;
- kill bacteria.
There are five chemotherapy regimens in total. Depending on the characteristics of the bacteria, doctors determine which one will be used. Bacteria may be sensitive to some drugs but resistant to others. When choosing a chemotherapy regimen, the experience of previous treatment is also considered.
Chemotherapy includes the following two phases:
- intensive therapy;
- continuation of treatment.
Intensive therapy can be not only a stand-alone treatment but also a preparation for surgery. However, its main goal is to destroy most of the bacteria, stop their release into the external environment, and stop the destructive processes in the lungs.
The continuation of treatment is aimed at destroying the remaining few bacteria.
According to the WHO classification, all drugs used to treat tuberculosis are divided into 3 groups: A, B, and C. Group A drugs are considered preferable. Doctors switch to groups B and C only if higher priority drugs cannot be used for some reason, for example, due to medical indications or bacterial resistance.
Doctors can understand which drugs mycobacteria are sensitive to even before the start of treatment. Bacteriological diagnostics is carried out for this. Bacteria are grown on a nutrient medium, and various antibiotics are then added to it to check which of them and in what concentration inhibits bacterial growth.
Surgical treatment
Patients may sometimes require surgical treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. The extent of the operation depends on the clinical form, the severity of the disease, and the volume of the affected lung tissue. Doctors can perform the following surgical interventions:
- lung resection (partial removal);
- pneumonectomy involves the removal of the entire lung;
- thoracoplasty is a surgical procedure on the chest;
- extrapleural filling is the filling of the chest cavity with various materials or placing implants in it, and endobronchial valves may sometimes be additionally implanted;
- drainage, excision or plastic repair of the cavity;
- thoracoscopic (minimally invasive) sanitation of the pleural cavity;
- pleurectomy is the removal of the pleura;
- bronchial resection and plastic repair;
- intrathoracic lymphadenectomy (lymph node removal);
- destruction of pleural adhesions.
In Germany, most operations are performed through short incisions in the chest using video-assisted thoracoscopic equipment. Doctors use thin long instruments and carry out all manipulations under the guidance of a tiny video camera. In this case, the surgeon's hands are not immersed in the wound. Some centers offer even safer robot-assisted surgery. Surgical treatment through minimally invasive approaches is less traumatic and reduces the period of postoperative rehabilitation compared to classical interventions, which are performed through a large incision in the chest.
Tuberculosis is a severe disease that threatens life. Nonetheless, this condition can be cured if you get medical care in a good hospital abroad. On the Booking Health website, you can find the cost of treatment and make your treatment appointment at the best price. Our specialists will help you to choose the most suitable clinics in Germany and organize your trip.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
WHO - World Health Organization
Verywell Health
Healthline
