infections
Tuberculosis (TB)
Symptoms and Complications of Tuberculosis
Primary infection rarely causes symptoms, but when symptoms occur, they typically include fatigue, cough, and low-grade fever. The thin, two-layered membrane that covers the lungs can become inflamed and causes chest pain. People with latent infection do not have symptoms. Some people with active pulmonary tuberculosis have no symptoms, except for not feeling well, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss. These symptoms develop gradually over several weeks. Other people also have symptoms that suggest a lung infection, such as cough. Coughis the most common symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis. Because the disease develops slowly, infected people at first may blame the cough on smoking, a recent episode of flu, the common cold, or asthma. The cough may produce a small amount of green or yellow sputum, usually when people awaken in the morning. Eventually, the sputum may be streaked with blood, although large amounts of blood are rare. People may awaken in the night and be drenched with a cold sweat, with or without fever. Sometimes there is so much sweat that people have to change nightclothes or even the bed sheets. However, tuberculosis does not always cause night sweats, and many other conditions can cause night sweats. Rapidly developing shortness of breath plus chest pain may signal the presence of air ( Pneumothorax ) or fluid ( Probably, the most common sites for tuberculosis that develops outside the lungs are Lymph nodes Kidneys Tuberculosis can also affect the bones, brain, abdominal cavity, two-layered membrane around the heart (pericardium), joints (especially weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees), and reproductive organs. Tuberculosis in these areas can be difficult to diagnose. Symptoms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis are vague, usually fatigue, poor appetite, intermittent fevers, sweats, and possibly weight loss. Sometimes the infection causes pain, discomfort, a collection of pus (abscess), or other symptoms, depending on the area involved: Lymph nodes:In a new tuberculosis infection, the bacteria may travel from the lungs to the lymph nodes that drain the lungs. If the body’s natural defenses can control the infection, it goes no further, and the bacteria become dormant. However, very young children have weaker defenses. In them, the lymph nodes that drain the lungs may become large enough to compress the bronchial tubes, causing a brassy cough and possibly a collapsed lung. Occasionally, bacteria spread from these lymph vessels to lymph nodes in the neck. An infection in lymph nodes in the neck may break through the skin and discharge pus. Sometimes bacteria travel in the bloodstream to lymph nodes in other parts of the body. Kidneys and bladder:Infection of the kidneys may cause fever, back pain, and pus and sometimes blood in the urine. Infection commonly spreads to the bladder, making people have to urinate more frequently and making urination painful. Tuberculosis can also spread to the genitals. In men, genital tuberculosis causes the scrotum to enlarge. In women, it causes chronic pelvic pain and sterility and increases the risk of a pregnancy in an abnormal location ( Ectopic Pregnancy ). Tuberculosis that infects the tissues covering the brain (tuberculous Acute Bacterial Meningitis ) is life threatening. In the United States and other developed countries, tuberculous meningitis most commonly occurs among older people or people with a weakened immune system. In areas where tuberculosis is common among children, tuberculous meningitis is most common among children between birth and 5 years of age. Symptoms include fever, constant headache, neck stiffness, nausea, confusion, and drowsiness that can lead to coma. Tuberculosis may also infect the brain itself, forming a mass called a tuberculoma. The tuberculoma may cause symptoms such as headaches, seizures, or muscle weakness. Tuberculomas are also more common and more destructive in people with HIV infection. In tuberculous Acute Pericarditis , the pericardium (the two-layered membrane around the heart) thickens and sometimes leaks fluid into the space between the pericardium and the heart. These effects limit the heart’s ability to pump and cause fever, chest pain, enlarged neck veins, and difficulty breathing. In parts of the world where tuberculosis is common, tuberculous pericarditis is a common cause of heart failure. Intestine:Intestinal tuberculosis occurs mainly in countries in which tuberculosis in cows is a problem. It is acquired by eating or drinking unpasteurized dairy products contaminated withMycobacterium bovis. This infection can cause pain, diarrhea, blockage of the intestine, and passage of bright red blood from the anus. Tissues in the abdomen may swell. This swelling may be mistaken for cancer. Skin:Tuberculosis may spread from another site, such as the lymph nodes or bones, to the skin (called cutaneous tuberculosis). It may cause painless, firm lumps to form. Eventually, these lumps enlarge and form open sores. Channels may form between the infected area within the body and the skin, and pus may drain through them. 