Tuberculosis is a disease of an infectious form and bacterial etiology. The disease can arise as a result of various factors: due to the high sensitivity of some people to infection, with insufficient immune defense, an improperly prepared diet, not following basic hygiene rules and living in poor social conditions. From this we can conclude that the main source of the disease is a poor quality of human life, although all segments of the population are included in the risk group for tuberculosis, regardless of their age and gender. It should be decided what signs of tuberculosis in children and adults exist.
Why does a person become infected?
A disease such as tuberculosis is characterized by a high death rate (up to 3 million people per year). The spread of the lesion is caused not only by social factors, but also by the long course of the disease in a latent form, when the symptoms do not make themselves felt.
This time is considered the most effective for starting treatment. To identify the presence of infection in the body, you need to evaluate the reaction to the Mantoux test.
How does malaise develop?
The causative agent of tuberculosis is the bacterium Mycobacterium or Koch bacillus. The described pathogen is highly resistant to external influences, is not afraid of high temperature and for a long time remains viable at low temperature.
Koch's wand cannot be attributed to a highly contagious infectious agent, although a carrier of infection with an open form of the disease spreads bacteria around itself. The risk of infection after contact with a sick person is minimal. A person with tuberculosis, as a rule, does not need hospitalization and is not limited in movement and social activity.
If the family is constantly in contact with the infected, then doctors advise to pay special attention not only to the patient’s health, but also to hygiene. During this period of time, measures should be taken to strengthen the immune defense of all family members and regularly check the response of the microorganism to the Mantoux test in order to determine the beginning of the infection development process in the early stages.
Main route of infection
The main route of infection is the ingress of Koch's bacillus into the respiratory system of a person by airborne droplets. In rare cases, doctors diagnose a household and transcentric way of transmitting the disease. The infection enters the body through the respiratory tract, and after it is transferred to the mucous membrane of the bronchi, alveoli, and with a blood stream spreads to all organs and systems of a person.
For the human body, such a pathogen is foreign. With a good state of immunity, protective cells immediately after the identification of breeding bacteria are activated and begin to fight the pathogen, preventing its further spread.
The disease can begin to develop in the following cases: if the immune system is suppressed and cannot defend normally, with insufficient numbers of produced antibodies and immunodeficiency, the presence of concomitant diseases, the body’s defenses are not formed due to age or social conditions, if the contact with the source of the disease continues for a long time period of time, and the infection remains open for a long time and does not receive the required treatment.
What contributes to infection?
The main factors leading to a decrease in immune defense and contributing to the active progression of the disease in contact with infection include:
- abuse of bad habits - smoking (weakens local immunity and leads to diseases of the bronchopulmonary system;
- the use of any narcotic drugs;
- excessive drinking of alcohol;
- predisposition to diseases of the respiratory system due to an abnormal structure of the organ, frequent diseases in the anamnesis, the presence of an inflammatory process in the respiratory system;
- chronic diseases and foci of inflammation located in different tissues and organs;
- damage to the endocrine system, diabetes mellitus;
- malnutrition, lack of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in food;
- neurotic disorders, prolonged depression, low stress resistance
- when carrying a child or breastfeeding;
- living in adverse social conditions.
Symptoms of the disease
Signs of tuberculosis in the initial stage are not particularly serious. Symptoms usually increase slowly. For a long time, the infection does not manifest itself, spreading through the defeat of an extensive part of the lung tissue.
Doctors distinguish the initial stage of the development of the disease, at which the active process of the spread of pathogens begins, which does not lead to any clinical signs. After the primary stage, there is a latent or latent stage. The first signs of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults:
- deterioration in the general well-being of the patient;
- fatigue, which only intensifies throughout the day, rapid change of mood, severe irritability;
- causeless weight loss;
- heavy sweating at night.
Severe cough, high body temperature are not characteristic of the first stages of infection, such signs manifest themselves only at the stage of extensive damage to the respiratory organ. With the erased clinical picture of the disease, diagnostic measures should be carried out on the basis of tuberculin samples (Diaskin test, reaction to the Mantoux test) or through a blood test for PCR.
The second stage is latent (closed-type tuberculosis). When it does not release the pathogen into the environment, and subject to moderate reproduction and resistance of the body, it does not bring special harm to the body.
The latent form is considered dangerous in that it can easily go into the stage of an active disease, which is not only dangerous for people around, but also can adversely affect the patient’s body.
The active stage of the disease passes into the secondary, and bacteria begin to multiply massively and actively spread to other parts of the body. Signs of pulmonary tuberculosis become extremely life-threatening and can even be fatal.
Active stage of tuberculosis
Symptoms in the acute form of the lesion are as follows:
- prolonged wet cough, accompanied by sputum (lasts more than three weeks);
- an admixture of blood is noticeable in sputum;
- subthermal hyperthermia;
- rapid weight loss;
- severe fatigue, poor health, sudden mood swings, weakness, aggressiveness, complete or partial lack of appetite, problems with working capacity and other symptoms of intoxication of the body.
Signs of tuberculosis in adults and children: wet cough, characterized by an acute form of the course and manifesting itself in the morning. Often at this stage of the disease progression, smokers take a cough for a “smoker's cough”.
With further progression of the infection, other signs may be added to the clinical picture:
- dry cough, pant;
- pain in the shoulders, chest;
- hyperthermia in the fibrous range (body temperature does not fall below 38-39 degrees Celsius);
- pain during coughing.
Signs of pulmonary tuberculosis are very similar to the symptoms of many other inflammatory diseases. The final diagnosis can be made only by the attending specialist after examinations.
Extrapulmonary lesions
Koch's wand can affect not only the tissues of the respiratory organ, but also multiply accelerated, provoke an inflammatory process in other organs. With this localization, doctors often determine a non-pulmonary infection.
A non-specific form of tuberculosis of the internal organs is detected through the exclusion of other diseases and pathological processes. The clinical picture will directly depend on the severity of the disease and the location of the focus of infection. The first signs of tuberculosis in adults and children:
- Inflammation spreads in the brain. The disease characterizes itself as an increase in body temperature, problems in the functioning of the nervous system, the state of sleep patterns, severe irritability, overstrain, and an increase in cervical and occipital muscles. Pain sensations spread in the back during extension and bending of the legs, tilting the head to the side. The infection spreads in stages. Most of all, preschool children, patients with diabetes and HIV infections are exposed to this condition.
- Digestive tuberculosis. It is characterized by: a feeling of bloating, problems with the process of defecation, pain in the intestine, symptoms of hemorrhagic bleeding (the presence of blood in the feces, fever).
- The spread of tuberculosis in bone and articular tissue, which is accompanied by severe pain in the affected areas, as well as limited mobility of the joints. Due to the strong similarity with other diseases of the musculoskeletal system, it is difficult to respond to diagnostic measures.
- Genitourinary tuberculosis most often develops in the kidneys and pelvic organs. Of the symptoms, pain in the lower back, hyperthermia of the body, frequent, unproductive urination with pain, as well as with an admixture of blood in the urine, are distinguished.
- Dermatological tuberculosis. This condition is characterized by the spread of a rash that merges and forms nodular formations that are tight to the touch.
Doctors also identify other symptoms of damage to other organs in the body. Bacteria, penetrating the blood stream, can actively spread throughout the body and affect almost any organ, system and tissue. The clinical symptoms of the disease in this case are difficult to identify, since they are very similar to the inflammatory processes of another etiology. The prognosis of treatment directly depends on the time of diagnosis, the location of the focus of infection, the stage of its development and the degree of damage to the organ.
Diagnostics
Diagnostic measures will be selected depending on the results of the analyzes. First, the patient has an anamnesis and an analysis of complaints, then they study the history of the disease.
To confirm or refute the diagnosis, you will need to conduct a series of studies:
- An analysis of the Mantoux reaction or the Pirke test is a common examination that helps to identify an infectious process in the body. The laboratory assistant conducts cutaneous or intradermal application of tuberculin and assesses the level of immunity tension. A tuberculin test helps to identify probable contact with Koch's bacillus, however, it is impossible to make a final diagnosis based on this study alone. This method is often criticized by phthisiatricians and other doctors, as it can talk about contact with other types of microbacteria. Tuberculin diagnostics through a sample can lead to an incorrect result after BCG vaccination. The Mantoux test is used before the initial vaccination in order to predict an allergic reaction.
- The diaxin test is a complex skin test and is complemented by a Mantoux reaction. Due to its particular specificity, it determines the reaction only to tuberculous mycobacteria.
- Histological analysis of tissue. The study is carried out by means of a biopsy and is prescribed only when the diagnosis cannot be made using biological fluid analysis.
Using fluorography and radiography, the presence of an inflammatory process in the tissues of the organs of the respiratory system is determined.
How is the treatment carried out?
A prognosis for a favorable outcome in this condition is made taking into account the stage of development of the disease, the affected area, and the state of human health. Diagnostic measures at an early stage help to prescribe an effective treatment that contributes to the complete healing of the patient.
Treatment is distinguished by its duration, complexity and is based on the use of antibacterial drugs, anti-TB drugs, immunomodulators, immunostimulants, probiotics, as well as vitamin therapy. When conducting treatment, it is important to exercise regularly and eat right.
Features of the treatment of the active stage of the disease
Therapeutic measures at the active stage of the development of the disease are carried out in the dispensary in order to minimize infection of surrounding people. The length of stay in a medical institution depends on the type and stage of the disease and can vary from 2 months to 2 years. It is forbidden to discontinue treatment on your own, as this can lead to relapse or accelerated progression, the development of complications, and even death.
To prevent infection, adults and children must lead a healthy lifestyle, follow the rules of hygiene and in every way support the state of the immune system. For children, it is important to conduct continuous tests and tests that will help identify the disease at a stage when the prognosis for treatment is most favorable. When the first signs of the disease appear, it is important to immediately seek the help of a doctor and go through all the required examinations and take tests.