Tuberculosis symptoms

Tuberculosis is a very serious infectious disease, caused by a mycobacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It affects the pulmonary system, in specific the lungs and the membranes that line each lung, but sometimes the bacteria can move through the circulatory system (in principal through the blood) to other sites in the body, thus affecting other organs- such as the liver, spine or brain- weakening the body’s immune system and making it more perceptive to other diseases.

At the beginning, tuberculosis may present itself as an asymptomatic disease. If the infected body has a strong and healthy immune system (one that has not had any serious and long term diseases) it can fight the infection masking it, not terminating its existence in the organism, the bacteria stops multiplying or moving to other organs. In this way, a person may have tuberculosis for a long period of time without knowing - this type of tuberculosis is called dormant tuberculosis or latent tuberculosis. It is not contagious and does not pose any threat to the carrying body nor to others.

At one point, considering environmental and physiological factors this type o passive tuberculosis may manifest as an active disease. For example, when the immune system can’t fight the infection any more, the bacteria can multiply and spread in the body. This active type of tuberculosis has various symptoms, depending on the stage in which the disease presents itself. It is advised to seek medical help if this situation occurs, because tuberculosis is a very contagious and threatening disease.

In the early stages of the disease, tuberculosis symptoms can be mistaken with a simple cold or, sometimes just a flu. Signs like night sweats accompanied by an increase in body temperature or heat waves or maybe just a simple cough may mislead in diagnosing tuberculosis. People might have to get up in the middle of the night and change because of the abundant seating. These signs are not alarming for most of people, but their consequences are significant.

In some more serious cases, having a persistent cough for more than 3 weeks or blood in the sputum (material from the lungs excreted when coughing) are very alarming signs of this affliction. Other tuberculosis symptoms include general weakness and feeling tired constantly. This general state of being unwell is related to the extensive dehydration due to excessive sweating. This may also manifest by losing strength in the muscles. People can become lethargic, lifeless.

Tuberculosis symptoms may also include pains in the thorax area or difficulty in breathing due to the growing infection in the lungs. Mainly, the entire respiratory system is being compromised, not working at full capacity. This may also lead to other tuberculosis symptoms, shortness of breath and tachycardia - rapid heartbeats. The air import is impaired and therefore shortened, so the blood doesn’t get sufficient oxygenation. This deficiency determines the body’s response, tachycardia. The rapid rate of beats is a sign of compensation.

Other tuberculosis symptoms include losing weight due to lack of appetite. The weakening of the immune system determines the malfunction of all the organs in the body. Tuberculosis symptoms may be of little importance at first, but as the disease progresses, the signs get worse, the organism gets more and more fragile and weak and, also, more opened to other infections.