Tuberculosis is an infectious and inflammatory pathology caused by a mycobacterium called Koch's bacillus. This disease can occur in acute or latent form. Carriage of the pathogen without the initiation of an inflammatory process in the body is also possible. In general, tuberculosis is multifaceted, and this is very dangerous.
What is this disease
Every year, millions of people of different ages and status die from tuberculosis. And all because the disease is extremely widespread and insidious: several years can pass from the moment of infection to the development of the acute form. It is extremely important to detect early tuberculosis. In adults, the symptoms of this disease can be completely different. But if you know their features, you can count on the timely detection and successful treatment of the disease.
Most often, the defect occurs with a slight increase in temperature within 37-38 degrees. But tuberculosis may well develop without fever. And although this form of pathology is extremely common, it is it that is considered the most dangerous. After all, the patient may for a long time simply not notice the symptoms of tuberculosis without fever. In adults, this disease often develops in a latent form, as the body tries to fight the pathogen. But the outcome of this “battle” is almost always the same - the disease wins. And to prevent this from happening, you need to pay attention to the signs of pathology in time, and be sure to consult a doctor.
Does tuberculosis occur without fever
This form of pathology occurs in the early stages of the development of lesions of the respiratory system. Doctors distinguish several phases of the disease.
- Primary stage. It indicates the period of time from the moment the bacteria enter the body until the onset of the first symptoms. Signs of the disease are mild, the temperature is most often absent. The normal temperature indicator in the primary stage of tuberculosis is a feature of its course. Although sometimes the patient still rises to a temperature of 37 degrees. But many people simply do not pay attention to it.
- Latent stage. Accompanied by the occurrence of a minimum number of symptoms. Doctors call this phase a closed form of pathology. For surrounding people, the latent stage is safe. It is for this period that the symptoms of tuberculosis in adults without fever and cough are characteristic.
- Active stage. This is an open form of the disease. It is characterized by a pronounced clinical picture. At this stage, the absence of elevated temperature is rare.
- In addition, a relapse of the pathology occurs. This phase is considered by doctors as the fourth stage of the disease.
Without temperature, only the first two phases of the pathology occur in adults, and then not in all cases. Each transition of the disease to the next stage can take several years. Although in the absence of proper treatment, the disease will progress rapidly.
Symptoms of tuberculosis without fever in adults
The signs of this form of the disease are nonspecific, so the patient needs a thorough examination to determine the correct diagnosis. The clinical picture consists of several main features. In adults, symptoms of tuberculosis without fever are most often mild.
- Persistent or intermittent cough. He appears as painful, debilitating bouts of suffocation. An intense discharge of purulent or serous sputum is observed. True, in the early stages of tuberculosis in adults, the symptom may be absent, especially if the body temperature remains within normal limits.
- Unusual wheezing, gurgling in the lungs. The breathing of a sick person becomes heavy, intermittent, hoarse. But you can’t determine the presence of tuberculosis by sound alone.
- Blood spitting. This symptom often appears in the early stages of tuberculosis. Blood spitting may indicate the emergence of neoplastic phenomena. In other words, with the appearance of such a symptom, doctors may suspect the development of malignant or benign neoplasms in the respiratory system. The allocation of blood occurs due to trauma to small capillaries. Gradually, the pathological process also covers larger blood vessels. If the volume of blood released exceeds 50 ml, it means that bleeding has begun inside the lungs.
It is worth saying that the first symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adult women and men appear exactly the same. In other words, it is not worth expecting specific symptoms, depending on whether you are a member of a particular gender. Yes, and pathology occurs equally often in both sexes. Symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adult men and women can differ only against the background of the protective properties of the body and overall health. It cannot be said that the stronger sex is easier to tolerate the disease - in this regard, everything is purely individual.
Features of the clinical picture
How to identify the disease in time and start treatment? Symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults should be known to everyone. After all, only in time to identify the initial signs of a dangerous disease, you can count on a favorable outcome. So remember what specific symptoms should alert you even in the absence of temperature.
- The appearance of a painful blush on the cheeks or, conversely, excessive pallor of the face.
- Severe shortness of breath. May appear not only during physical activity, but also at rest.
- Suffocation. In the last stages of the disease, lung volume decreases, and functional tissue is replaced by scar tissue. Against the background of these processes, a person loses the ability to breathe normally.
- Pain in the back and chest. This symptom of tuberculosis worsens when you try to take a deep breath.
- An increase in the volume of regional lymph nodes.
- The classic signs of anemia caused by iron deficiency are drowsiness, dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss, weakness, apathy, a change in taste preferences.
- Decreased appetite.
- Ascites is the occurrence of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
- Sudden weight loss for no reason. This does not apply to those who are on a strict diet.
- Chronic fatigue, lack of desire to perform even simple everyday activities.
- Heavy sweating, especially at night.
This is how the first symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults look like. To suspect this disease, body temperature does not have to rise at all.
As for children and adolescents, their described clinical picture can be supplemented by the protractedness of infectious pathologies, vomiting and nausea.
Signs of secondary inflammation
Unfortunately, in the early stages of the disease practically does not manifest itself. Symptoms of latent tuberculosis in adults begin to bother the patient already in the late phases of development. But at this stage it is very difficult to stop the pathological process, and in some cases it is completely impossible.
If secondary foci of inflammation are present in the body, local symptoms of secondary pulmonary tuberculosis occur.
In adult patients, there are such signs of its course:
- intense heat;
- blood spitting;
- prolonged coughing attacks;
- sudden weight loss;
- pain in the affected area;
- almost complete lack of appetite.
Clinical manifestations of tuberculosis occur only after the pathogen enters the bloodstream directly. At the initial stage, they are almost invisible, but as the disease develops, the first signs become pronounced.
It is much easier to diagnose an open form of pulmonary tuberculosis. Symptoms in adults are as follows:
- sudden weight loss;
- impairment of ability to work, apathy;
- chest pain;
- high fatigue;
- regular mood swings, excessive irritability;
- frequent wet cough;
- heavy sweating at rest.
All these signs with an open form of the disease are pronounced. So problems with the detection of pathology should not arise. But with the latent type of ailment, the situation is completely different.
Latent course of the disease
What are the symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults with a closed form of the disease? This kind of pathology is considered the most dangerous and insidious. And all because expressed symptoms with this form are simply absent. The clinical picture of the closed type of tuberculosis has several features:
- human well-being remains normal;
- a skin test gives a positive result;
- sputum analysis gives a negative result;
- X-ray image does not show pathological changes in the lungs.
This form is not contagious to others, but you certainly should not relax. After all, a closed type of tuberculosis at any time can go into an open variety.
Diagnostics
A comprehensive examination is required to detect the disease. If the therapist suspects symptoms of tuberculosis in an adult, he sends him to a TB specialist.
At the last stages of the pathology, determining the diagnosis does not cause any difficulties, since the clinical picture is pronounced. But detecting tuberculosis in the early phases is much more difficult.
First of all, the doctor collects all the necessary medical history, interviews the patient for complaints and the limitation of their appearance. This is the only way to identify the possible time of infection and predisposing factors.
After collecting an anamnesis, a whole range of diagnostic measures follows.
- General blood analysis. Shows the classic clinical picture of an acute or sluggish inflammatory process. If the patient has hidden bleeding, a decrease in hemoglobin volume is observed in the blood.
- General urine analysis. It is necessary to determine the health of the kidneys and the presence of secondary foci of tuberculosis in the genitourinary system.
- General analysis of sputum. Provides the ability to detect Koch's wand.
- Mantoux test. Today, this test is considered insufficiently informative, since it may be affected by a different immune response. The Pirke test is considered more accurate - it is it that is indicated for adult patients with suspected tuberculosis.
- Chest x-ray. The image should be visible gaps or blackouts. True, this symptom may be absent with a closed form of the disease.
- Bronchoscopy It is necessary for the differential diagnosis of pathology. First of all, it is important to distinguish tuberculosis without fever and cough from the tumor. To clarify the diagnosis, the patient may be assigned an endoscopic examination.
- CT is used only in extreme cases.
Temperature-free tuberculosis therapy
Patients with this diagnosis require complex treatment. Symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults are eliminated with the help of different groups of medicines:
- antibiotics - most often, synthetic fluoroquinolones are prescribed;
- special anti-tuberculosis drugs, such as Rifampicin or Isoniazid.
The course of treatment for the latent form of the disease lasts approximately six months. If the patient has a prolonged course of tuberculosis, the presence of all sorts of complications or multiple secondary foci, the treatment is prolonged. Interruption is prohibited even for a day.
Keep in mind that Koch's wand has high adaptive abilities and quickly develops resistance to medications. If you refuse to use drugs, the risk of staying sick forever increases at times.
If the inflammatory process has covered a large area of the lungs, surgical intervention is required. During the operation, excision of the affected tissues and rehabilitation of structures is performed. True, surgical intervention is prescribed to the patient only after a full course of conservative therapy. This is necessary to prevent the transition of closed tuberculosis to the open form, which is dangerous for people around.
Upon completion of therapy, the patient is recommended rehabilitation: taking vitamin complexes and strengthening the immune system by any available means. It’s useful to go to a sanatorium.
Likely Consequences
Even if the disease proceeds without coughing and fever, do not delay the therapy. The latent form of tuberculosis is not safe, it is simply more difficult to detect the pathology. If the patient is not provided with the necessary treatment, the development of various complications is not excluded.
- The transition of the disease to the active phase, in which a person becomes dangerous to others.
- The development of bleeding in the lungs. If a patient is diagnosed with a late stage of the disease, this condition can be fatal.
- The formation of secondary foci of inflammation in the genitourinary system, brain, digestive tract, skin, joints and bones.
Conclusion
Tuberculosis without fever can occur in the early stages of the disease. This form of pathology is considered the most insidious, since it significantly complicates the diagnosis. Only timely treatment provides a favorable outcome.