Can people with tuberculosis drink alcohol?

Written by Xiong Hong Hai
Infectious Disease
Updated on April 16, 2025
00:00
00:00

Patients with tuberculosis should not drink alcohol. They need to rest well, enhance their nutrition, and abstain from smoking and drinking. Systematic and standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment is necessary. With standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment, the tuberculosis bacteria can be effectively suppressed, symptoms can be controlled, and the patient’s weight can increase. It is crucial to abstain from smoking and drinking during treatment, as drinking can lead to poor treatment outcomes and even the development of drug-resistant tuberculosis. With timely and standardized medication and comprehensive treatment, most patients can generally be cured within a six-month course of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
1min 13sec home-news-image

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is a disease where the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects the lungs. It is a persistent bacterium that grows slowly. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease and quite common historically, often referred to as consumption in the past, as mentioned in the novels of Lu Xun. In modern times, tuberculosis is relatively manageable if the infection has not developed resistance to drugs. Proper anti-tuberculosis treatment can result in a cure rate exceeding 90% on the first attempt. However, if the treatment is not adhered to correctly—if the patient stops taking the medication prematurely or does not follow the prescribed regimen—the bacteria may develop resistance, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment. This is particularly problematic in elderly patients, who might also experience adverse reactions to tuberculosis medications, making treatment difficult. Thus, while tuberculosis is generally treatable, infections with drug-resistant strains can be fatal if not managed properly.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xiong Hong Hai
Infectious Disease
48sec home-news-image

Can tuberculosis be cured?

Tuberculosis can actually be completely cured, primarily through anti-tuberculosis treatment. If it is confirmed to be active tuberculosis, systematic and standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment is required. Through scientific and reasonable anti-tuberculosis treatment and taking medication on time and according to guidelines, most tuberculosis patients can be cured, with a cure rate reaching 85%. The treatment includes an intensive phase of anti-tuberculosis treatment and a consolidation phase, with the total course of treatment being about six months. After being cured, it is not easy to relapse, but it is essential to take medications on time, adjust nutrition, modify work and rest schedules, and rest well.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xiong Hong Hai
Infectious Disease
46sec home-news-image

Can people with tuberculosis drink alcohol?

Patients with tuberculosis should not drink alcohol. They need to rest well, enhance their nutrition, and abstain from smoking and drinking. Systematic and standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment is necessary. With standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment, the tuberculosis bacteria can be effectively suppressed, symptoms can be controlled, and the patient’s weight can increase. It is crucial to abstain from smoking and drinking during treatment, as drinking can lead to poor treatment outcomes and even the development of drug-resistant tuberculosis. With timely and standardized medication and comprehensive treatment, most patients can generally be cured within a six-month course of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Han Jian Hua
Infectious Disease
1min 31sec home-news-image

Does tuberculosis infect people?

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease, and hearing the term "tuberculosis" inevitably makes people nervous. However, not all tuberculosis patients are contagious. Research shows that among tuberculosis patients, only those who have tuberculosis bacteria found in sputum smear tests are contagious. With a source of infection, the tuberculosis bacteria must be transmitted to others through certain routes. Airborne transmission is the main route of transmission for tuberculosis bacteria. When a tuberculosis patient coughs, sneezes, or speaks loudly, they release a large number of droplet nuclei containing tuberculosis bacteria into the air, which can be inhaled by healthy individuals and cause infection. The degree of tuberculosis bacteria infection mainly depends on factors such as the amount of bacteria the patient expels, the severity of coughing symptoms, and the extent of contact. Therefore, when there is a tuberculosis patient nearby, we first need to understand whether they are in the active phase of the disease, that is, expelling bacteria, and whether they are undergoing anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. If the patient has a negative sputum test or has undergone chemotherapy for a positive sputum test, such patients have very low contagiousness, so there is no need to worry too much about being infected.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
38sec home-news-image

Does tuberculosis cause fever?

Does tuberculosis cause fever? The answer is definitely yes. Fever is one of the most common clinical manifestations of tuberculosis. Many tuberculosis patients experience low fevers, and a minority of patients, such as those with caseous tuberculosis or tuberculous pleurisy, may experience high fevers that can recur and persist. Moreover, tuberculosis patients may sometimes also have concurrent bacterial infections, which can cause the fever to last longer and be more difficult to control.