How to know if you have tuberculosis. Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and methods of examination in the early stages

Especially high risks of getting sick with this disease in autumn and spring.

  • You can get TB everywhere. It is enough that you have weak protective functions of the body and a patient with an open form of the disease sneezes on you. Then a huge amount of Koch sticks will enter your body.
  • There is a high risk of getting this disease in people who have: the body will not be able to resist the infection.
  • It greatly weakens the body of excessive and physical exertion.
  • The most pleasant environment for the reproduction of bacteria is damp, dark, unventilated rooms. These include prisons, places for the homeless, hospitals and even rented apartments.
  • Bad habits: alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking.
  • Immunity to tuberculosis is reduced by drugs that are taken for lung diseases, as they saturate the body with toxins.

At increased risk are:

  • Those who often come into contact with patients with "consumption";
  • people who live in terrible sanitary conditions;
  • those who live in countries where there are many people suffering from this disease (mainly Africa and Asian countries);
  • people with weak immunity (especially HIV-infected and cancer patients);
  • children;
  • diabetics;
  • those who are malnourished and often hypothermic;
  • people who are treated with intravenous drugs.

Symptoms

Tuberculosis on early stages difficult to determine. All this because the symptoms can be very diverse. Sometimes even a therapist does not immediately recognize tuberculosis, but may confuse it with SARS. We list the most common first symptoms of the disease.

The very first signs of the disease, when human body appears a large number of infections will:

  • Reduced performance;
  • fast fatiguability;
  • weakness (even in the morning).

Infected children will experience a decrease in school performance, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbances. Often the temperature even rises, especially closer to the night. In the evening, a person may experience chills and heavy sweating.

With pulmonary tuberculosis primary symptom there will be a cough that does not go away for a long time. Initially it is dry, aggravated at night and in the morning. Further, the cough becomes wet and sputum begins to depart.

If blood appears in the sputum, this indicates a severe form of tuberculosis, which can later lead to pulmonary bleeding.

In such cases, immediate hospitalization of the patient is necessary. In addition to the above symptoms, there are other less common ones:

  • The patient may experience pain in the shoulders, joints, under the breastbone, pallor, and even indigestion.
  • Tuberculosis toxins can affect the heart, causing the heart to beat faster.
  • The patient may also begin to complain of a headache and enlarged lymph nodes will be noticeable.
  • Causeless weight loss, lack of appetite, shortness of breath and even mood swings can become a signal of the body.

It is important to know that symptoms do not appear all at once. Often one or two appear. Therefore, if you notice at least one of them, you should not put off going to the doctor on the back burner and self-medicate. Remember that the disease in the early stages is much easier and faster to cure.

Forms

Many people are mistaken when they think that there is only pulmonary tuberculosis. There are other types that have their own symptoms.

    Pulmonary tuberculosis.

    It manifests itself in the form of a prolonged cough, pain in chest, increased sweating, shortness of breath, weight loss. If these symptoms appear, see a doctor immediately.

    Tuberculosis nervous system.

    It entails apathy, increased pressure, swelling of the brain and fatigue.

    Tuberculosis of bones and joints.

    It can be identified by increased bone fragility, joint pain, and even curvature of the spine.

    Tuberculosis of the genitourinary system.

    Can be easily confused with normal inflammation. Only a qualified doctor can diagnose it.

    Tuberculosis of the intestine.

    There is indigestion. There are frequent pains in the abdomen, diarrhea and bloating. This form of the disease is fraught with intestinal obstruction, as a result of which bleeding will begin.

    Lupus.

    Few people know that there is even skin tuberculosis. If you notice that the color of the skin has changed, “pustules” have appeared, the lymph nodes have enlarged, contact a dermatologist or phthisiatrician immediately.

Diagnostics

Tuberculosis can be correctly diagnosed only after a visit to a phthisiatrician. The most common and easiest way to identify the disease is the Mantoux test.

A person is given an injection in the arm and after 72 hours they look at the injection mark. The diameter is measured with a ruler. A deviation from the norm indicates that it is necessary to further examine the body more carefully.
In the diagnosis of tuberculosis, doctors and patients often resort to x-rays of the lungs. But this method is not always accurate, because in addition to lung disease, there are many other forms of illness.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease of bacterial etiology. The disease has not only a medical, but also a social aspect: people with low level immunity, an unbalanced diet, living in conditions of non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, poor social and living conditions. The level of quality of life of a person affects the development of the disease. However, the risk group for tuberculosis is made up of all segments of the population, regardless of age and gender.

The high frequency of deaths (up to 3 million people per year) and the prevalence of the disease are due not only to social causes, but also to a long period of latent course of the disease, when the symptoms of tuberculosis do not appear. Given time is the most favorable for therapy, and an assessment of the body's response to the Mantoux test is used to determine the likelihood of infection.

Causes of the disease and ways of infection

The disease develops after infection of the human body with the tuberculosis bacterium Mycobacterium or Koch's bacillus. This microorganism is resistant to the influence of the external environment, high-temperature exposure, and remains viable for a long time at low temperatures.

Koch's wand is not considered a highly contagious infectious agent, although a carrier of infection with an open form of the disease spreads bacteria into the environment, the likelihood of getting sick after contact with the pathogen and its entry into the body in a healthy person is extremely low. Tuberculosis (tuberculosis patient) in most cases does not need inpatient treatment in an inactive form of the disease and is not limited in movement, social activity. With constant household contact, in families where there is a person with tuberculosis, it is recommended to pay attention not only to his health, but also to maintaining hygiene, measures to strengthen the immunity of other family members and regular checks of the body's reaction to the Mantoux test to identify possible infection at the earliest stages.

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The main route of infection is the entry of Koch's sticks by airborne droplets into the respiratory system. Household (contact) and transplacental methods of infection transmission are less commonly recorded. The bacterium enters the body through Airways, then migrates to the bronchial mucosa, alveoli and spreads throughout the body with blood flow.

For human body Koch's bacillus is a foreign microorganism. Normal when it appears and multiplies in the body immune cells attack the causative agent of the disease, preventing the stage of active reproduction. The development of the disease is likely in two cases: if the immune system is suppressed, there are violations of the production of antibodies, the state of immunodeficiencies, the body's defenses are weakened by other diseases, insufficiently formed due to the age factor or social and living conditions; or if contact with the pathogen is prolonged, constant, the bacillus carrier is at the stage of an open form of the disease and does not receive the necessary treatment (with undiagnosed tuberculosis in a family member, while being kept in closed institutions, etc.).

Among the factors that reduce specific immunity and contribute to the development of the disease upon contact with an infectious agent, the following are distinguished:

  • smoking as a factor in the development of diseases of the bronchopulmonary system, weakening local immunity;
  • excessive intake of alcoholic beverages;
  • all types of drug addiction;
  • predisposition to disease respiratory system due to the presence of anomalies in the structure, frequent diseases in history, the presence of chronic inflammatory processes in the respiratory organs;
  • chronic diseases and foci of inflammation in other organs and tissues;
  • diabetes mellitus, endocrine diseases;
  • unbalanced diet, lack of vitamins and nutrients;
  • neurotic disorders, depressive states, low stress resistance;
  • period of pregnancy;
  • unfavorable social conditions.

Development of tuberculosis: signs and symptoms of various stages of the disease

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As a rule, the increase in manifestations of tuberculosis occurs gradually. For a sufficiently long period, the pathogen does not manifest itself in the body, spreading and multiplying mostly in the tissues of the lungs.
At the beginning of tuberculosis, there are no symptoms. The primary stage is distinguished, at which the reproduction of pathogenic organisms predominantly occurs, not accompanied by clinical manifestations. After the primary, a latent, or hidden stage of the disease occurs, at which the following symptoms can be observed:

  • general deterioration of well-being;
  • fatigue, loss of strength, irritability;
  • unmotivated weight loss;
  • excessive sweating at night.

Cough, fever bodies are not typical for the first stages of the disease, these symptoms are noted at the stage of extensive damage to lung tissues. With an erased picture of the first stages of the development of the disease, diagnosis is possible only by tuberculin test methods (Diaskin test, reaction to the Mantoux test, etc.) or by analyzing blood for PCR.
The next stage is characterized by a latent stage, a “closed” form of tuberculosis, in which the pathogen is not released into the environment and, with its moderate reproduction and body resistance, no pronounced harm to health is observed.

The latent form is dangerous with the possibility of transition to the stage of an active disease, which is not only dangerous for others, but also extremely negatively affecting the body.

The active stage passes into the secondary, the pathogenic microorganism reaches the stage of mass reproduction and spreads to other organs of the body. There are severe injuries and diseases leading to death.

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Active stage of tuberculosis: symptoms and manifestations

Symptoms of tuberculosis in the acute period of the disease:

  • long (more than three weeks) moist cough with sputum;
  • the presence of blood inclusions in the sputum;
  • hyperthermia in the subfebrile range;
  • unmotivated weight loss;
  • increased fatigue, general deterioration of health, weakness, irritability, loss of appetite, deterioration in performance and other signs of intoxication of the body.

The cough is wet, pronounced, attacks are frequent, with a characteristic increase in the morning. Often at this stage of the disease, smokers take this symptom for manifestations of "smoker's cough", a symptom of chronic bronchitis in nicotine-dependent patients.
With more aggressive rates of disease development, the clinical picture may be supplemented by the following symptoms:

  • hyperthermia in the febrile range (body temperature 38-39°C);
  • pain in the shoulder, chest area;
  • soreness during coughing;
  • dry cough, hard breathing.

The symptomatology of the tuberculous inflammatory process is similar to the clinical pictures of other respiratory diseases of viral and bacterial etiology. Differentiation of diagnoses is carried out only by a specialist.

Symptoms of extrapulmonary forms of the disease

Koch's wand can affect not only lung tissue, but also multiply and cause inflammation in other organs. With such localization, they speak of an extrapulmonary type of disease. A nonspecific type of tuberculous lesion of internal organs and systems is diagnosed, as a rule, by excluding other diseases and pathologies. The clinical picture depends on the severity of the process and the localization of the organ or tissue affected by the bacterium.

  • With the localization of the inflammatory process in the brain, the disease manifests itself in an increase in body temperature, disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, sleep patterns, increased irritability, neurotic reactions, and an increase in the occipital and cervical muscles. Pain in the back is characteristic when the legs are extended, the head is tilted towards the chest. The disease progresses slowly, at risk are preschool children, patients suffering from diabetes, HIV-infected people.
  • Tuberculous organ damage digestive system It is expressed in periodic violations of defecation, a feeling of bloating, pain in the intestines, signs of hemorrhagic bleeding (inclusion of blood in the feces), an increase in body temperature up to 40 ° C.
  • Tuberculous lesion of bone and articular tissue is manifested painful sensations in the affected areas, limited joint mobility. Due to the similarity of symptoms with other diseases of the musculoskeletal system, it is difficult to diagnose.
  • The defeat of the tuberculosis bacterium of the organs of the genitourinary system is determined, as a rule, in the kidneys and / or organs of the small pelvis. The clinical picture consists of pain attacks in the lower back, hyperthermia of the body, frequent, painful, unproductive urge to urinate, inclusion of blood in the urine.
  • Tuberculous lesion skin It is expressed in the form of rashes spread throughout the skin, merging and forming nodular formations that are dense to the touch.

There may be other symptoms in the defeat of various organs. A pathogenic organism, penetrating into the bloodstream, can spread throughout the body and target almost any organ, tissue or system. Clinical signs diseases in this case are difficult to differentiate from similar inflammatory processes of a different etiology. The prognosis of treatment of extrapulmonary forms depends on the time of diagnosis, the localization of the pathological process, its stage, the degree of organ damage, general condition patient's health.

Diagnostic methods

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The diagnosis is established on the basis of tests to determine the presence of the pathogen in the body. Diagnostic measures begin with the collection of an anamnesis and analysis of the patient's complaints, studying the medical history. To confirm or refute the diagnosis, a number of examinations are carried out:

  • analysis for the Mantoux reaction or the Pirquet test, the most common test to determine the presence of infection in the body. Intradermal or dermal application of tuberculin and assessment of the level of tension specific immunity organism. The tuberculin test allows you to evaluate the likely contact with the Koch stick, but does not mean confirmation of the disease. This method diagnosis, however, is criticized by phthisiatricians and other specialists, as it may indicate contact with other types of microbacteria. Also, tuberculin diagnosis by the test method can lead to incorrect results after BCG vaccination. The Mantoux test is also used before primary vaccination in order to predict possible allergic reactions on the main component of the vaccine;
  • The diaskin test also applies to skin tests, supplementing tuberculin diagnostics using the Mantoux reaction method. Being a more specific test, it detects a reaction only to tuberculosis mycobacteria;
  • The quantiferon test or ELISA is an enzyme immunoassay diagnostic test recommended for patients with an allergy to tuberculin, as well as, if necessary, differentiating a false positive reaction of the body to Mantoux and Diaskin tests after BCG vaccination. The study is carried out on biological material (blood), has no contraindications and is considered the most reliable test (less than 2% of erroneous results, compared to 30% with Mantoux tests). Recommended for detection of latent and extrapulmonary forms of the disease;
  • smear microscopy is carried out as a search for a pathogenic organism in sputum separated by coughing. If tuberculous mycobacteria are detected in a smear, the method is supplemented by bacteriological inoculation of the sample in a nutrient medium;
  • PCR, the polymerase chain reaction method, is the most accurate of the currently existing research methods that allows you to determine the presence of mycobacteria DNA in various biological fluids;
  • histological analysis of tissues removed by biopsy is prescribed in situations where it is impossible to confirm the diagnosis by analyzing biological fluids, in particular, with sluggish tuberculous lesions of bone tissue.

X-ray and fluorography methods reveal the presence of foci of inflammation in the lung tissues.

Treatment of the disease

The prognosis for recovery in this disease is based on the stage of the disease, the area of ​​the lesion, and the general health of the patient. Diagnosis in the early stages allows you to prescribe an effective course of therapy that contributes to the complete healing of the patient.
Treatment is long-term, complex, based on admission antibacterial drugs, anti-tuberculosis drugs, immunomodulators, immunostimulants, probiotics and vitamin therapy. An obligatory part of the course of treatment is dietary nutrition and physiotherapy exercises.

Treatment of a patient in the active stage is carried out in a tuberculosis dispensary to reduce the likelihood of infection of others. The duration of stay depends on the type and stage of development of the process and can range from several months to a year or more. Self-cessation of treatment most often leads to relapse or progression of the disease, the development of severe complications, and death.

Preventive measures

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According to statistics, in Russia, about 90% of people are carriers of Koch's wand. At the same time, less than 1% of them get sick. The development of the disease depends on the level of immunity, so the main prevention is maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
children, regular tests and tests that allow to detect the disease at an early stage, when the prognosis for treatment is most favorable, also play a significant role in the prevention of the disease.

The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Expert advice is required!

The main number of cases tuberculosis detected during the patient's first visit to the doctor general practice. The patient, feeling unwell, does not immediately seek help from a doctor. A subfebrile temperature appears up to 37.5 C, which is maintained constantly. After some time, dry cough joins, sometimes with sputum ( heavy smokers most often do not pay attention to it, referring to their bad habit ). That's when it's worth worrying, it's time to see a doctor. Each doctor knows about the widespread prevalence of tuberculosis, therefore, when a patient presents with characteristic symptoms, he must ask the patient test questions, such as:
  • Has the patient had TB before?
  • Did his relatives suffer from tuberculosis
  • Has he been in contact with TB patients?
  • Is the patient registered with the anti-tuberculosis institution regarding the presence of hypersensitivity for tuberculin
  • Did you pass and when) patient lung x-ray
  • Whether the patient was incarcerated or in contact with people who were previously in prison
  • Whether he is a migrant, homeless, living in disadvantaged conditions, etc.
Communication with the patient plays a very important role in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. From the patient's story, one can learn some key points of the disease, for example, repeated respiratory infections he had previously suffered or some signs of latent tuberculosis intoxication, which the patient indicates.
After collecting an anamnesis and a thorough examination of the patient, they begin to conduct laboratory and instrumental studies.

Tuberculin diagnostics

It is an important method for diagnosing tuberculosis, complementing the clinical examination of the patient. It indicates the presence of an increased specific sensitivity of the body caused by the BCG vaccine or the causative agent of tuberculosis ( mycobacterium tuberculosis). For tuberculin test tuberculin is used - a water-glycerin extract isolated from a culture of the pathogen. Tuberculin does not cause sensitization in a healthy body, and is also not able to develop immunity against tuberculosis. A response to tuberculin develops only in children previously sensitized by the BCG vaccine or the pathogen bacterium.

Mantoux test

A small area of ​​skin on the inner surface of the forearm, namely its middle third, is treated with ethyl alcohol. The needle is inserted intradermally, parallel to the skin surface, with the needle cut upwards. 0.1 ml of tuberculin is injected, which is one dose. At the site of tuberculin injection, a small ( diameter 7-8 mm) a whitish-colored vial in the form of a lemon peel. It is very important that the Mantoux test is performed by a specially trained nurse, since if the technique is not performed correctly, the results become unreliable. The test results are evaluated 72 hours after the test. The evaluation is carried out by a doctor or a specially trained nurse. First, the forearm is examined at the site of tuberculin injection. This way you can find the absence external signs reactions, the presence of redness of the skin or the accumulation of infiltrate.

Reddening of the skin should not be confused with an infiltrate. To do this, compare the thickness skin fold forearms over a healthy area, and then at the site of the needle. The difference lies in the fact that with redness, the folds remain the same thickness, and with infiltration, the fold over the tuberculin injection site thickens. After an external examination, the diameter of the reaction is measured using a transparent ruler.

There are three types of response to tuberculin:
1. Negative reaction - characterized total absence skin redness and infiltration ( 0 – 1 mm).
2. Doubtful reaction - reddening of the skin of various sizes or the presence of an infiltrate with a diameter of 2 - 4 mm /
3. positive reaction - Mandatory presence of an infiltrate with a diameter of 5 mm or more.

In its turn positive reactions can also be divided into several types, depending on the diameter of the infiltrate:

  • Weakly positive - 5 - 9 mm.
  • Medium intensity - 10 - 14 mm.
  • Expressed - 15 - 16 mm.
  • Hyperergic - in children and adolescents 17 mm or more, and in adults from 21 mm. Vesiculonecrotic skin reactions also fall into this category.
  • Increasing - a reaction accompanied by an increase in infiltrate by 6 mm or more compared to the previous sample.

Laboratory methods for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis

1. Collection and processing of sputum: the procedure is carried out in a specially prepared room, away from unauthorized persons. The most common method is to take material from the larynx using a swab. Mucus is collected during coughing or expectoration of sputum. The swab is placed in a special sealed container and immediately sent for microbiological examination. The collection of materials is also carried out during the study of bronchial and / or stomach washings, the study of cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, bronchoscopy, pleural biopsy, lung biopsy.

2. Sputum microscopy:
It is the fastest and cheapest method for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The method is based on the ability of mycobacteria to retain their color even after treatment with various acidic solutions. So, they are detected using a microscope in stained sputum smears. Along with simple microscopy, fluorescence microscopy is also used, which is based on the use of ultraviolet rays to detect mycobacteria.

Molecular genetic methods for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis


1. Polymerase chain reaction: is to decipher the genetic material of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Designed to detect the pathogen in the sputum and recognize the variety of bacteria. The method has a special sensitivity and specificity.

2. Determination of drug resistance of the pathogen
Sensitive to any particular drug are those strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, on which this drug in the minimum concentration has a bacteriostatic or bactericidal effect.
Resistant or resistant to this drug are those strains of mycobacteria that are able to multiply when exposed to the drug in a minimum or increased concentration.

3. Serological methods tuberculosis diagnostics
Serological methods for the study of blood plasma components are based on the detection of numerous antigens related to tuberculosis, as well as a variety of immune responses caused by various forms tuberculosis.

4. Blood analysis
Hemoglobin and erythrocytes in most cases remain unchanged, except in cases accompanied by acute blood loss. An indicator indicating the presence of an active tuberculous process is the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Accelerated ESR is characteristic not only for fresh active tuberculosis, but also for exacerbation of a chronic process.
Other parameters of the blood test vary greatly depending on the nature of the damage to the lungs.

5. Analysis of urine
In the analysis of urine in a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis, there are no noticeable deviations from the norm. Changes appear only with tuberculous lesions of the kidneys and urinary tract.

6. X-ray methods diagnostics
The following methods are most often used in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis:

  • Radiography
  • Fluoroscopy

  • Fluorography
  • Tomography

7. Endoscopic methods for diagnosing tuberculosis
  • Tracheobronchoscopy
  • Bronchoscopy lavage
  • Thoracoscopy ( pleuroscopy)
  • Transbronchial biopsy
  • Transthoracic needle biopsy
  • Pleural puncture and puncture biopsy of the pleura
All these research methods are available only in specialized medical institutions.

Early and late detection of tuberculosis

For a complete and rapid cure of tuberculosis, its timely detection is very important. Early diagnosis in the early stages of the disease can prevent it further distribution, and is also the most important link in the prevention of tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis, detected in the late stages of development, is very difficult to treat. In addition, such patients become epidemically dangerous to others.

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It is quite difficult to determine such a disease with some accuracy, and the patient cannot make a diagnosis on his own. First of all, because tuberculosis can have many forms of course and characteristics. Moreover, it can even affect different organs, and not just the lungs, as is commonly believed. In addition, this condition is quite difficult to distinguish from many other diseases, for example, from the same pneumonia, which is much more common.

However, the observation of the characteristic symptoms of this disease, described below, should be a reason for the patient to immediately visit a medical institution. After all, if tuberculosis really manifested itself, even a minimal delay can seriously affect health.

Early symptoms

How to determine tuberculosis at home? Early symptoms play a major role in the diagnosis given state. Late symptoms are often already very pronounced and by the time they appear, the patient has already started treatment one way or another and consulted a doctor. In the early stages, the symptoms are unexpressed and therefore it is quite difficult to recognize it in a timely manner. But it is at this stage that the disease is treated most successfully.

Tuberculous bronchoadenitis

A fairly common form of the disease. It occurs almost as often as a lung lesion. In fact, it has a lot in common with him. The symptomatology is almost completely similar, although the pathology itself affects only the roots of the organ. In children, symptoms are generally absent, rarely observed subfebrile temperature, sometimes rising.

There is no cough. It manifests itself only when, as a result of an increase in the lymph nodes, the bronchi are compressed. Even as a result of full recovery, the patient for a certain period belongs to the group of increased likelihood of infection, because it may undergo a re-development of the disease. Or tuberculosis can occur in a different form.

Tuberculosis of the brain

Tuberculosis of the meninges develops rapidly and always has an acute course. The disease gives pronounced symptoms already at the initial stage, both in children and adults. It develops most often not independently, but as a complication of pulmonary tuberculosis. Has the following symptoms:

  1. Headache;
  2. Dizziness;
  3. Vomit;
  4. neurological disorders;
  5. Nausea;
  6. High body temperature.

Another type of tuberculous brain injury is tuberculous meningitis. It develops in children on its own or as a complication after pulmonary form. At the initial stage, it manifests itself in the form of malaise, constipation, sleep disturbance, irritability. Then nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle hypertonicity develop.

Using Rapid Tests

Pharmacies sell various rapid tests for tuberculosis, which help determine the presence of the pathogen in the body. They are not very precise, but can be used to get an approximate result.

Other diagnostic methods

How to get tested for tuberculosis? The following methods are used:

  1. Tuberculin tests (Mantoux, Diaskintest, etc.);
  2. Radiography is the main method showing foci of tuberculosis in the lungs;
  3. Blood test, urinalysis;
  4. PCR and bacteriological studies of body fluids.

Based on these data, it can be concluded that there is a bacterium that causes tuberculosis in the body.

Conclusion

But it is important to understand that at least some accurate diagnosis of this disease is out of the question. medical institution it can not be. If you notice similar symptoms in yourself, do not panic - they do not necessarily indicate tuberculosis. But it is still necessary to immediately consult with a specialist.

Photo 1. Main symptom tuberculosis disease at an early stage in humans - a specific cough with sputum.

Symptoms of tuberculosis at an early stage:

  • cough with phlegm;
  • fast fatiguability;
  • loss of appetite;
  • weight loss;
  • hemoptysis;
  • temperature increase to subfebrile value;
  • obsessive dry cough at night and in the morning;
  • irritability;
  • pressure drop;
  • dizziness.


Photo 2. The appearance of a cough with blood in a patient with tuberculosis is a sign of the transition of the disease to an open form.

The increase in the above symptoms is characteristic as the pathology progresses.



Photo 4. Persistent chest pain that makes it difficult to breathe may accompany the closed form of tuberculosis disease.

If treatment is started on time, it is possible to prevent intoxication of the body in a short time, which occurs when the first symptoms of tuberculosis appear in adults. As practice shows, the body copes with a dangerous pathology.

Signs of the disease in the early stages

When identifying the symptoms of tuberculosis in the first stages, the following nuances are taken into account:

  1. It is important to consult a doctor without delay. As a rule, the district therapist is engaged in the study of the clinical picture and the collection of anamnesis. Based on the results of the tests, which confirm the presence of mycobacteria in the patient's body, he refers the patient to a phthisiatrician who specializes in the development of tuberculosis.


Photo 5. X-ray is one of the most common methods for diagnosing tuberculosis used by TB doctors.

  1. If tuberculosis is suspected, limit communication. Being infectious disease, closed and open form of pathology poses a direct threat to healthy people.
  2. The therapy is carried out in stationary conditions with the use of modern anti-tuberculosis drugs, under the supervision of a phthisiatrician.

The infectious process in children and adults is manifested indifferently to age. The first symptoms of tuberculosis:

  • pallor of the skin;
  • pointed facial features;
  • rapid weight loss against the background of lack of appetite;
  • the formation of an unnatural blush on sunken cheeks;
  • painful shine of the eyes;
  • increased susceptibility of the eyes to daylight.


F oto 6. Photophobia occurs in a person suffering from tuberculosis at an early stage, along with other signs of the disease.

If you have a persistent cough with sputum, see your doctor. Having studied clinical picture and results medical examination, the phthisiatrician will prescribe adequate therapy.

Signs of tuberculosis by type of disease

Pulmonary tuberculosis Extrapulmonary tuberculosis
primary tuberculosis Tuberculosis of the intestine
Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes Tuberculous meningitis
Disseminated tuberculosis Tuberculosis of the joints and bones
Focal tuberculosis Tuberculous lupus
Tuberculoma Tuberculosis of the genitourinary system
Infiltrative-pneumonic tuberculosis
Cavernous tuberculosis
Fibrous-cavernous tuberculosis
Tuberculous pleurisy (epyema)
Cirrhotic tuberculosis
Tuberculosis of the respiratory tract
Tuberculosis with pneumoconiosis

The table shows the main types of tuberculosis according to the principle of its localization.

Tuberculosis takes on extrapulmonary forms, affecting internal organs person. The intensity of the development of tuberculosis depends on the localization of the focus of pathology, individual features organism, degree of resistance immune system to negative factors environment. Depending on the localization, closed tuberculosis is classified as:

  • bone tuberculosis
  • genitourinary system
  • lupus
  • nervous system
  • organs of the gastrointestinal tract
  • brain damage
  • miliary tuberculosis


Photo 7. Tuberculous disease of the skin is expressed in the form of systemic lupus erythematosus.

For the purpose of productive diagnosis of tuberculosis, the fact that the pathology of the respiratory organs often occurs with symptoms of acute intoxication of the body, influenza, and pneumonia is taken into account. Medical therapy using modern antibiotics a wide spectrum of action allows you to achieve an improvement in the patient's condition. However, a complete cure does not occur. The disease passes into a sluggish form, periods of relative well-being are replaced by relapse.


Photo 8. In the anti-tuberculosis drug therapy antibiotics specially designed for this purpose are used.

Extrapulmonary forms of the pathological process are accompanied by local symptoms. For example, tuberculous meningitis is characterized by characteristic migraines, tuberculous tonsillitis is accompanied by pain in the larynx, hoarseness. Tuberculosis of the musculoskeletal system leads to dysfunction of the joints and bones, accompanied by acute pain in the spine, joint.


Photo 9. Tuberculous meningitis is accompanied by bouts of intense headache, often in the frontal and occipital parts.

Women with organ tuberculosis reproductive system, complain of aching persistent pain in the uterus, impaired menstrual cycle. Lumbar of the spine declares itself with acute pain in the case of a destructive process in the organs of the genitourinary system. mesenteric The lymph nodes also affects tuberculosis. In this case, patients are disturbed by the intestines, pain and pain in the abdomen.

Despite the fact that mycobacteria have been studied to date, they mutate, adapting to new environmental conditions, progressive antibiotics and other medicines. Experts are unanimous in their opinion: an unfavorable environmental factor causes the rapid development of the disease.

Difficulties in identifying the disease by symptoms

The development of the pathological process depends on the state of the immune system, physiological features patient. The symptoms of tuberculosis at an early stage in adults are similar to a cold, they act under the guise of a viral infection. respiratory infection, bronchitis or chronic prostration.


Photo 10. Fresh air, sun and healthy lifestyle of life are used as prevention of tuberculosis.

The anamnesis and initial examination allow us to make an assumption about the development of a dangerous pathology. The complete clinical picture is based on the results of numerous tests:

  • immunological blood test;
  • microbiological research;
  • radiodiagnosis;
  • endoscopic diagnostics;
  • morphological history;
  • study of the genetic factor.

In the early stages of development, pathology does not cause any inconvenience. In the later stages, it poses a real threat to human life. In this regard, it is important to undergo a special examination once a year, which helps to diagnose and neutralize the pathological process at an early stage.

Video: Types of tuberculosis: x-ray