Tuberculosis, despite advances in medicine, continues to be the most common infectious disease. According to the data, about 4 million people worldwide die from it every year. With timely medical intervention, the disease is treatable. In this article, we will talk about what causes and symptoms of
pulmonary tuberculosis in adults exist today.
How can I get infected?
This disease is not hereditary, that is, it cannot be obtained from parents even if they are sick. Tuberculosis only spreads through infected people by airborne droplets. If a person who has a TB disease coughs or sneezes nearby, there is a risk that the infection will enter your body. But it is possible to get the disease if you inhale the bacteria for a long time. Once in the human body, Koch's wand (the so-called infection that provokes tuberculosis) can either be destroyed by the immune system, or it will settle in the lungs. In the latter case, the bacterium will wait for the right moment when it will be possible to attack the organ, this can happen during the period of weakening of the protective functions of the body, that is, during any illness. The stage when Koch's wand is in the lungs but does not perform any action is called infection. To determine that a person is sick is almost impossible, since no symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis appear in adults.
How to recognize an ailment
As mentioned earlier, in healthy people with a properly functioning immune system, signs of the disease may be absent. The following are common symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults :
- An increase in body temperature in the evening and night hours. The peculiarity is that the numbers rarely exceed 38 degrees.
- Rapid pulse. It occurs under the influence of toxins on the heart muscle.
- Cough. May be dry or wet, depending on the phase of pulmonary tuberculosis. You should definitely consult a doctor if a cough torments you at night for more than three weeks.
- Pain in the chest with coughing and breathing.
- Dyspnea.
- Increased sweating.
- General weakness of the body, rapid fatigue, nausea, headaches, apathy, decreased or complete lack of appetite, causeless weight loss are all symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults.
Who can get sick?
The risk group includes:
- refugees and emigrants;
- homeless
- former prisoners;
- people living in shelters and nursing homes;
- patients of psychiatric and narcological clinics;
- people suffering from diseases that weaken the immune system;
- regulars with chronic diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
From year to year, according to the World Health Organization, the number of cases of tuberculosis is growing. The success of the treatment will depend on what stage of the disease the patient seeks for help. Mild tuberculosis is effectively eliminated, but if the disease is significantly neglected and the lungs are affected, then a fatal outcome is possible.