Tuberculosis is a contagious airborne infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread by breathing air contaminated by a person who has active disease. The earliest symptom of a tuberculosis infection is cough but night sweats, fever, weight loss and fatigue may also be present. Diagnosis of tuberculosis is confirmed by a positive skin test. Treatment of active TB consists of three to nine or more months of antibiotics. People treated for active TB may be hospitalized for the first two weeks of their treatment or until they are no longer contagious. Complications from TB can be serious; prompt treatment is required to prevent further damage from the disease.
Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Some tuberculosis infections may become resistant to traditional drug therapy. Treatment of drug-resistant TB consists of a cocktail of one or more of the traditional drugs combined with three or more second line medications. Patients may be required to take these drugs for 18 months to two years or longer. The Mayo Clinic reports that even with aggressive treatment, many patients with drug resistant TB may not survive.
Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Pulmonary tuberculosis is a tuberculosis infection in the lungs. With the first symptom of tuberculosis often being nothing more than a nagging cough, some patients don't seek treatment right away. If left untreated, tuberculosis may cause bleeding into the lungs. Patients will begin to cough up bloody or blood-streaked sputum. Pulmonary tuberculosis that is left untreated can lead to progressive weakening of the lungs and damage to the lung tissues. Anyone experiencing a persistent cough or anyone coughing up blood-streaked sputum should seek medical care immediately.
Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis is when tuberculosis develops outside of the lungs. The kidneys and lymph nodes are the most common sites of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, but TB can affect any part of the body. Symptoms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis may include fatigue, poor appetite, fever, pain or weight loss depending on the part of the body infected. If TB affects the brain or central nervous system, meningitis, an infection of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord, may occur. If left untreated, meningitis can be fatal. If TB infects the pericardium, the membranous sack that surrounds the heart, an infection called pericarditis may occur. If left untreated, pericarditis can lead to heart failure.
Miliary Tuberculosis
Miliary tuberculosis is TB that has spread throughout the entire body by way of the bloodstream. The infection is called miliary TB because the millions of tiny spots that form in the lungs are the size of millet, the small round seeds in bird food. Symptoms of miliary TB are as vague as the symptoms of a primary TB infection and may include signs such as weight loss, fever, chills, difficulty breathing and general discomfort. Treatment of miliary TB consists of aggressive antibiotic therapy.
