You may not notice any symptoms of illness until the disease is quite advanced. Even then the symptoms–loss of weight, loss of energy, poor appetite, fever, a productive cough, and night sweats–might easily be blamed on another disease.
Only about 10% of people infected with M tuberculosis ever develop tuberculosis disease. Many of those who suffer TB do so in the first few years following infection, but the bacillus may lie dormant in the body for decades.
Although most initial infections have no symptoms and people overcome them, they may develop fever, dry cough, and chest x-ray abnormalities.
This is called primary pulmonary tuberculosis .
Pulmonary tuberculosis frequently goes away by itself, but in 50-60% of cases the disease can return.
Tuberculous pleuritis may occur in 10% of people who have the lung disease from tuberculosis.
The pleural disease occurs from the rupture of a diseased area into the pleural space, the space between your lung and the lining of the abdominal cavity.
These people have a nonproductive cough, chest pain, and fever. The disease may go away and then come back at a later date.
In a minority of people with weakened immune systems, TB bacteria may spread through their blood to various parts of their body.
This is called miliary tuberculosis and produces fever, weakness, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
Cough and difficulty breathing are less common.
Generally, return of dormant tuberculosis infection occurs in the upper lungs.
Common cough with a progressive increase in production of mucus
Coughing up blood
Other symptoms include the following:
Fever
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Night sweats
About 15% of people may develop tuberculosis in an organ other than their lungs. About 25% of these people usually had known TB with inadequate treatment. The most common sites include the following:
Lymph nodes
Genitourinary tract
Bone and joint sites
Meninges
The lining covering the outside of the gastrointestinal tract
World Health Organization
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilators are medicines that help open the bronchial tubes (airways) of the lungs, allowing more air to flow through them.
Bronchoscopy allows a doctor to examine inside your airway for any abnormality such as foreign bodies, bleeding, a tumor, or inflammation. The doctor uses either a rigid bronchoscope or flexible bronchoscope.
Respiratory System, in anatomy and physiology, organs that deliver oxygen to the circulatory system for transport to all body cells. Oxygen is essential for cells, which use this vital substance to liberate the energy needed for cellular activities.
