Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious health condition that usually affects the lungs. When someone is sick with TB, it’s called active TB or TB disease. Active TB can spread from person to person through the air, like when someone with active TB sneezes or coughs.
Sometimes, you can have TB but not feel sick. This is called latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), or inactive TB. If you have LTBI, you may not know it — so you need to get tested.
Talk to your doctor about getting tested for LTBI if you:
If you have LTBI, you can’t pass it on to others by sneezing or coughing. But if you don’t get treatment, LTBI can turn into active TB. This could make you very sick, and you could then pass TB on to others.
Remember, LTBI doesn’t cause any signs or symptoms — so the only way to know if you have it is to get tested. That’s why it’s important to talk to your doctor if you’re at risk for LTBI.
When you visit the doctor, it helps to have questions ready ahead of time. You can also ask a family member or friend to go with you to take notes.
Consider taking this list of questions to your next appointment.