Tuberculosis
Signs and Symptoms
Latent TB infection does not cause any symptoms. Someone may have a latent TB infection for years without knowing it. It is usually diagnosed when a person has a positive TB skin test (PPD test).
Latent TB infection does not cause any symptoms. Someone may have a latent TB infection for years without knowing it. It is usually diagnosed when a person has a positive TB skin test (PPD test).
The symptoms of active TB depend on what part(s) of the body are involved. The classic symptoms tend to be pulmonary (TB in the lungs) and include:
- Chronic cough, sometimes with bloody sputum
- Fever
- Chills
- Weight loss
- Weakness
If the TB is extrapulmonary (outside of the lungs), it may cause few noticeable symptoms or a wide range including:
- Back pain and paralysis (spinal TB)
- Weakness due to anemia (TB in the bone marrow)
- Joint pain
- Pain associated with reproductive system or urinary tract, and possibly, resulting in infertility
- Abdominal pain
- Fever and shortness of breath (TB in the pericardium or miliary TB, a large number in the bloodstream)
- Altered mental state, headache and coma (TB in the brain and/or central nervous system)
All of these symptoms may also be seen in a variety of other conditions. A diagnosis of active tuberculosis depends on the positive identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the body fluids or tissues.
