Tuberculosis Signs And Symptoms

Treating Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis symptoms resemble the signs and symptoms of many other disorders, including lung diseases and disorders related to other organs. The most reliable way for your doctor to get an accurate tuberculosis diagnosis is by doing a complete medical and performing one of several specific tuberculosis tests.

There are two types of tthis disease: latent tuberculosis and active tuberculosis. In treating tuberculosis, your doctor will want to know which type you have .

If you have latent tuberculosis, it means the bacteria that causes tuberculosis is present your lungs. But your immune system is able to fight it off, and you don't get sick. This type is also known as inactive TB. It isn't contagious.

Active tuberculosis is the type that can make you ill and also spread to others.

Since tuberculosis usually infects the lungs, it produces signs and symptoms that present themselves in your respiratory system.These signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis include:

• A persistent cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks.
• Hemotopysis or coughing up blood.
• A general feeling of pain or soreness in the chest area.
• Pain that occurs when you breathe or cough.

Tuberculosis doesn't just affect your lungs, however. It can also affect other organs and parts of your body, especially the brain, kidneys and spine. In such cases, signs and symptoms of TB will depend on which area is affected.

Other general signs and symptoms of tuberculosis include

• Chills and fever.
• A general sense of lethargy and fatigue.
• Reduced appetite and unexplained weight loss.
• Night sweats.

If you're experiencing these signs and symptoms of tuberculosis, it's time to visit your doctor to talk about them.

Your primary care physician can recomend tests to help him or her determine if active TB is your problem. He or she might also recommend that you visit a pulmonologist, which is a doctor who specializes in lung diseases. A specialist who's trained in diagnosing infectious diseases can also help.

Your local health department can certainly be a source of valuable information too. You can look them up online or in your local phonebook.

Treating tuberculosis There are a number of ways to treat tuberculosis and reduce its symptoms and signs. The first choice for many doctors is an antibiotic which eliminates the bacteria that is the root cause of the disease.

There are also medications available that will help reduce the severity of your symptoms until the bacteria has been destroyed.

There's a possibility you'll be quarantined until the active stage of your illness has passed and you are no longer contagious.

Also see our article What Is Tuberculosis Disease? 

Do you still want to learn more about tuberculosis by typing a relevant keyword or phrase in the search box below.

 

Tweet