TB of the Bones

Dear Ask The Doctor: My mother lives in Zambia Africa, and I live in the US. She has been complaining for the last 1 year of back and leg pain.Last week she went to the Dr. and she was diagnosed with TB of the bones.She has broken rib, one of the bones are resting on the flesh. She can't sit or walk. She's starting TB treatments soon. What's the best cure for this disease. Please advice me.

Dear Brenda: Tuberculosis is caused by a mycobacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Treatment for TB uses antibiotics to kill this organism. The two antibiotics most commonly used are rifampicin and isoniazid. TB requires long periods of treatmen from 6 to 24 months to entirely eliminate mycobacteria from the body, due to the unusual structure and chemical composition of the mycobacterial cell wall, which is difficult for antibiotics to penetrate. Drug resistant TB can also be a problem with trying to eradicate this infection. In your mother’s case, it is imperative to commence treatment for TB as soon as possible, in addition to regular pain relief.