Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that can affect many organs throughout the body, but pulmonary TB is the most common. The clinical course is mostly chronic, but a few may have an acute onset. There are often systemic symptoms such as low-grade fever, malaise, and respiratory manifestations such as cough and hemoptysis.
Transmission routes of tuberculosis
There are respiratory, gastrointestinal and mucosal skin contacts, but mainly through the respiratory tract, spread by aerosols with Mycobacterium tuberculosis spread by open coughing and sneezing of patients.
Symptoms of tuberculosis
1.Systemic symptoms.
Systemic toxicity symptoms are low fever in the afternoon, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, night sweats, etc. When the pulmonary disease signs are rapidly progressing to spread, there may be high fever, and women may have menstrual disorders or amenorrhea.
2. Respiratory system.
There is usually a dry cough or only a small amount of mucus. In case of secondary infection, the sputum is mucous or purulent. About 1/3 of patients have varying degrees of hemoptysis. When the inflammation reaches the wall pleura, there is stabbing pain in the corresponding chest wall, which is usually not severe and worsens with breathing and coughing. In chronic severe tuberculosis, respiratory function slows down and dyspnea develops.
Typical pulmonary tuberculosis has a slow onset and a long course, with low-grade fever, malaise, loss of appetite, cough and a small amount of hemoptysis. However, most patients with mild lesions often have no obvious symptoms and are detected only by X-ray health examination. Some patients recognize sudden hemoptysis as a manifestation of the disease, but can often be traced to mild toxicity during the course of the disease.
People with suspicion of tuberculosis
Self-determination of tuberculosis can be achieved by having the following signs.
1, weakness, fatigue, laziness, and reluctance to move around.
2. Fever in the hands and feet, lack of desire to eat and drink, low fever during the day, flushed cheeks in the afternoon, night sweats.
3.Fever, decreased physical strength, aching shoulders, irregular or amenorrheic menstruation in women.
4.Coughing frequently but not much sputum, sometimes with blood in the sputum.
5.Large amount of hemoptysis, pain in the chest and back.
6.High fever.
Anyone who has 1-4 items that can be matched should be examined promptly, and may be initially ill, and can improve quickly with urgent treatment; anyone who has 5-6 items that can be matched should have a serious condition, and should go to the hospital to take a film to confirm the diagnosis and seek urgent medical treatment; anyone with fever and cough should be distinguished from chronic bronchitis; anyone with cough, sputum and hemoptysis should be distinguished from bronchial dilatation; anyone with fever and cough should be distinguished from pneumonia The treatment of tuberculosis
Drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis
The main drugs are remifentan (also known as isoniazid), streptomycin, rifampin and ethambutol, etc. Because of the long treatment course and toxic side effects, the drugs should be used according to the condition and under the guidance of the doctor. Patients who have been diagnosed with tuberculosis should pay attention to rest, increase nutrition, maintain optimism and strengthen physical exercise appropriately to enhance resistance, in addition to adhering to treatment.