A cough that lasts more than one week and is accompanied by fever. Perhaps these are signs of tuberculosis? No need to hesitate. After all, this may not be just ARI.
What is pulmonary tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by mycobacteria, which spread in tissues saturated with blood and oxygen. For this reason, the lungs are most affected. Of course, the disease can develop in other organs. The treatment is successful, but it requires a course from six months to a year, and in some cases it can drag on for years (it all depends on what cough with pulmonary tuberculosis). Previously, this disease was considered the most common. But with the advent of antibiotics, coughing with tuberculosis became less common. Today, the disease is gaining momentum, since the emergence of various strains of tuberculosis has led to resistance to antibiotics. There is a disease in such forms as open and closed. In the first form, the bacterium, which in the body is suppressed by the immune system, does not pose any threat to people around. However, this form can go into the open if a person does not conduct proper treatment. In the second form, the patient has the ability to infect others. The most common form of infection is to inhale the air that the infected person exhaled.
Who runs the risk of contracting tuberculosis?
Most at risk are people:
- with weak immunity (infants, HIV-infected);
- people who have close contact with the infected (living in the same room);
- those who care for patients with tuberculosis (doctors and nurses);
- people who are addicted to nicotine (especially those who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes per day);
- those who live in the streets;
- persons who consume alcohol and drugs;
- people whose weight is 10% less than normal;
- persons who use medications for depression;
- people who are in prison.
Causes of cough with tuberculosis
The body has the ability to fight any bacteria that enter it. However, under any stress or weakening, the body malfunctions and creates a favorable soil for the development of diseases.
The most common way for tuberculosis bacillus to enter the body is by airborne droplets. But infection does not occur immediately - the bacterium meets resistance of the respiratory system. The development of the bacillus occurs with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and bronchi.
The most common causes of the disease: poor social status, contact with an infected person, poor lifestyle, stress, poor nutrition, and poor immunity. But the main reason can be called a weak social base and the inability to fully treat.
Symptoms of coughing with tuberculosis
First of all, you need to listen to your body and pay attention to any changes so as not to miss the initial stage of the disease. This is extremely important, because at first the disease may not manifest itself and be diagnosed after an X-ray of the lungs.
The following symptoms are the first signs of the disease:
- persistent dizziness;
- apathy and lethargy;
- sleep disturbance;
- heavy sweating;
- severe pallor of the body;
- the appearance of a bright blush;
- rapid weight loss;
- lack of appetite;
- body temperature is 37 0 C.
At later stages, the disease manifests itself more specifically:
- tuberculosis has a strong cough - both dry and sputum;
- tachycardia, in which there is a severe lack of air;
- wheezing of varying intensity;
- high body temperature;
- shine in the eyes and pallor of the skin;
- vegetovascular dystonia;
- fast weight loss up to ten kilograms or more;
- the appearance of blood during expectoration;
- the occurrence of chest pain.
Tuberculosis stages
There are three stages of pulmonary tuberculosis:
- Infection . It occurs only in the area where the infection gets. Usually the infected person feels well, only sometimes the primary signs of the disease may occur.
- Hidden infections. Provided that the human immunity is very weak, bacteria will quickly spread throughout the body. Thus, they will form places of accumulation of tuberculosis bacteria on various organs.
- Disease progression. The accumulation of mycobacteria affects the lungs, when they enter the bronchi, these microbes make a person a spread of infection.
Forms of tuberculosis
There are many forms of the disease. It depends on the form of treatment and how dangerous the disease is.
The first form is infiltrative. It is due to the fact that inflammation appears in the lungs of a person. As a result, lung tissue becomes like cottage cheese. In some cases, this form is asymptomatic and appears only with x-rays. Often there is expectoration of blood, although overall health is generally good. Often, the disease is confused with pneumonia, bronchitis and flu.
The second form is called disseminated. And it is caused by the fact that bacteria spread through the blood and lymphatic system. Symptoms are obvious and each person is different.
The third form is cavernous, it is characterized by the appearance of a thin cavity on the lung tissue. This form is not very pronounced. It is treated with medications, physiotherapy and immunostimulating drugs.
The fourth form is called fibrous. With it, the bronchi are affected and emphysema, bronchiectasis and pneumosclerosis appear.
The fifth form is called focal and is secondary. It affects both one lung and both. A person develops a cough with tuberculosis and fever, and other symptoms.
Is tuberculosis without coughing possible?
Only at the beginning can a disease develop without coughing. During this period, the patient may not feel the process of intoxication occurring in his body. But over time, a cough appears.
With the closed form, cough with tuberculosis does not occur.
If a person is sick with tuberculosis of organs such as bones, joints, skin, eyes, brain, kidneys, intestines and genitals, then coughing does not occur .
What is the cough for tuberculosis?
There is a cough in case of disease progression. It happens: dry (or it is also called unproductive) and wet (productive).
If a dry cough is detected:
- tuberculosis in the initial stage;
- there was pressure on the bronchial tree with lymph nodes, which increased;
- there is bronchial tuberculosis ;
- parallel occurrence of chronic bronchitis.
It is also possible due to the ingress of fluid (pus or other) from the pleura into the bronchi.
Cough with sputum in tuberculosis has the following reasons:
- rapid development of the disease;
- a form of the disease that leads to the destruction of the lungs;
- accompaniment of chronic nonspecific bronchitis.
Expectorant in this disease occurs with a homogeneous mass without color and odor. If tuberculosis occurs in parallel with another disease of the respiratory system, then sputum will be green, purulent and with a sharp unpleasant odor.
Other symptoms of tuberculosis
Coughing with tuberculosis is characterized by expectoration with blood, which is a feature of some types of pulmonary tuberculosis. At first, the patient expectorates the usual red blood, later it turns into clots. The temperature does not occur. However, if blood enters the lungs, then in 90% of cases their inflammation occurs, which occurs with a high body temperature.
Bleeding in the lungs is characterized by the appearance of bright red blood, the volume of which will be more than 50 ml per day (meaning what goes through the respiratory system). When expectoration of blood is allocated no more than 50 ml per day. Bleeding in the lungs is dangerous because hemorrhagic shock can occur.
There is a cough with tuberculosis and shortness of breath when exhaling, this is due to a decrease in the area of lung tissue, bronchial patency and a deterioration in the part of the brain that is responsible for breathing.
Squeezing pain appears, which becomes stronger with the slightest movement.
There is an increase in lymph nodes.
Cough in children
Cough with tuberculosis in children has the following features:
- strong dry;
- more progresses at night and in the morning and lasts more than one month;
- with the development of the disease, it becomes moist with the release of purulent and blood mass;
- cough is accompanied by weakness, distracted attention, decreased performance.
With the right medication, it disappears.
Parents need to be able to distinguish cough with pulmonary tuberculosis from acute respiratory viral infection in children, since it also has a cough, but has its own characteristics:
- appears from the onset of the disease;
- passes in two to five days;
- dynamic, that is, in a short period of time passes from dry to wet;
- characterized by fever and all catarrhal symptoms;
- facilitate the state of heavy drinking and taking antiviral agents.
The most popular methods for diagnosing tuberculosis
The most popular diagnostic methods include x-ray methods, a Mantoux test, a diaskintest, and a quantiferon test.
X-ray methods are divided into:
- Fluoroscopy - transmission. This is a cheap method in which a specialist examines an organ on the screen at the moment when the apparatus illuminates it.
- Roentgenography. It is a more accurate method and draws attention to the details of any harmful process in the lungs.
- Tomography. It is used to clarify the nature of the disease. The tomography consists of several images.
- Fluorography. This method is common because it is used to prevent tuberculosis, it is necessary to undergo an examination once a year.
Mantoux test is that a special agent is introduced into the human body - tuberculin. Three days later, the specialist assesses the reaction of the body. This diagnosis is carried out every year for children, starting from a year old and up to eighteen years old. The advantages are price, simplicity and the ability to check a large number of people.
Many factors can affect the development of the reaction, then the test result will be inaccurate:
- when the child suffered a certain infection, allergy, combed the injection site;
- violation of the technique, poor quality of the drug;
- a false reaction occurs when there are microbes in the body that are similar to the causative agents of tuberculosis.
Diaskintest is used in order to exclude a false positive Mantoux reaction. Most often it is used in cases where parents are against Mantoux. However, it gives false results if the disease is in the initial stage.
The Quantiferon test is the most advanced diagnostic technique, since it detects both an active and a latent form of the disease. The advantage of this method is that it is carried out in laboratory conditions, there is no influence of external factors. It also eliminates false reactions and is used regardless of the illness of the child.
Tuberculosis cough treatment
If a cough (tuberculosis) is treated, then it should be remembered that all medications are taken exactly on time, admission skipping is strictly excluded. If the regimen is not respected, then a form of cough may occur that will be resistant to drugs. Koch's wand can be destroyed only with the simultaneous use of five to six drugs.
But in order to cure the patient, you do not need to rely only on drugs. Therapy is carried out in conjunction with physiotherapy and taking drugs that strengthen the immune system. Do not ignore breathing exercises and proper nutrition.
If the disease is started, then surgical intervention is recommended. Because otherwise fatal outcome is possible. If the treatment is carried out correctly, then the cough after tuberculosis disappears.