The physician must obtain a history and administer the tuberculin test to determine if there has been exposure to tuberculosis. Patients who are seriously ill may require hospitalization for two or three months. Antitubercular drug therapy always includes more than one drug in order to lessen the development of drug resistance. The most common regimens include the use of isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide. Tuberculous meningitis requires specialized treatment.
Early diagnosis is extremely important.
In some cases, the BCG vaccine, which can create immunity to tuberculosis, may be given. This vaccine, however, has not been found appropriate for the population in general. Important to the control of tuberculosis is that diseased persons be identified quickly so that they can be isolated from others and treated. Tuberculosis of the spine, also known as Pott's disease, distroys affected vertebrae. This results in compression of the spinal cord and nerves.