Tuberculosis: symptoms, first signs, how it is transmitted in adults and children, at an early stage

Tuberculosis is a disease which previously was called "consumption" or "ataxic disease". Now this disease can be cured, but 100 percent of the disease is not yet defeated. Specially developed modern medications facilitate the patient's condition and may even lead to recovery. However, tuberculosis remains the most common pathology in the world.

If symptoms of tuberculosis are detected early, the disease responds well to treatment. Running form is difficult to cure, and sometimes impossible. What are the first signs of tuberculosis? How to identify the disease at early stages?

Definition of the disease

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by several species of mycobacteria. In most cases the tubercle Bacillus affects the lung tissue, but is found infection and other organs. Bacillus are very resistant to adverse environmental influences. They are able to be a long time in soil, snow and water, which explains the prevalence of infection among the people.

Tuberculosis is poorly exposed to the treatment, and mortality of the disease up to the twentieth century was very high. Today the situation has changed for the better, but, nevertheless, part of the infected people die from complications.

It is extremely important to know the early symptoms of tuberculosis so as not to miss the initial stage of the disease. In this case, the treatment forecast is favorable. In advanced stages of tuberculosis gives a lot of complications dangerous to the patient's life.

Causes

To people fell ill with tuberculosis, the body has to get Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but it is not sufficient. So, in some people the immune system is so powerful that can easily destroy the pathogen, in this case the infection will not lead to disease. In other cases, the immune system only suppresses the activity of the wand and for a long time keeps the pathogen under control. But if the immune system were to weaken, as aktiviziruyutsya pathogen causes a disease. Only five of the 100 healthy people who have contracted Mycobacterium tuberculosis sick immediately.

The main factors that contribute to tuberculosis:

• Adverse social and environmental living conditions,
• Poor nutrition,
• Alcoholism, Smoking, drug abuse,
• Depression of immunity,
• Stresses,
• The presence of comorbidities (diabetes, gastric ulcer or duodenum 12, diseases of the lungs).

Causes of tuberculosis more often have social roots. The cramped, stuffy, damp and crowded accommodation increasing the likelihood of primary infection. Smoking, alcoholism, stress also reduces the body's resistance. Poor people are often unable to acquire the necessary for the treatment of anti-TB drugs. All these factors lead to the fact that the risk of infection and severity of disease is significantly increased.

In many cases, the cause of tuberculosis lie in the carelessness quite prosperous person. Here are 2 of the most common scenarios of development of the disease:

1. Prolonged more than 3 weeks dry cough and does not drop below the 37.2 º C body temperature cases are referred to the cold symptoms. He is in no hurry to see the doctor, preferring traditional remedies and Aspirin. When the patient still comes to visits to the doctor, he is referred for chest x-rays. Sometimes the patient is not in a hurry to visit the office of the radiologist, and starts the disease more and more. He never thought that tuberculosis long been spread throughout the body. Further temperature increases of up to 39º C, dry cough more and more. Come shortness of breath, constant sweating, fatigue, weight loss. Only then will the patient understands the seriousness of his condition and that it alone can not cope with the disease. Six months in the hospital, which is the fairly lenient sentence of doctors.
2. The irresponsibility of the patient is also fraught with dangerous consequences. Some patients of the tuberculosis clinic behave like students trying to pass tests on "random": you will forget to drink the medicine, the treatment compliance. In General, doing everything to ensure that the bacteria used to anti-TB drugs. Occurs drug resistance to the causative agent of tuberculosis. Recorded daily for 10 such patients. To treat them is much more difficult here we are talking about life and death. So don'tsurprising statistics, according to which many patients with TB disease die in the first phase of treatment.

Treat with seriousness to the treatment prescribed by your doctor: follow all recommendations, follow the regime. Otherwise, increases the risk of death. Developed a special treatment called chemotherapy. Also tuberculosis in certain stages docked folk remedies.

Symptoms

The first signs of tuberculosis appear individually. On the severity of the first symptoms is influenced by such factors as the time of infection, the level of protective powers of man, the presence of concomitant diseases, working conditions, environmental factors, etc. some people infected with TB, symptoms may not appear until the severe development of the disease, when complications have already put human life at risk. Others infected with tuberculosis is beginning to emerge from the first days of infection or develops gradually. In most cases, the first symptoms of tuberculosis be nonspecific for this disease symptoms.

A person can begin to suffer from weakness, fatigue that may be signs of various diseases. Possible also sleep disturbance, appearance of lethargy, apathy and irritability. These symptoms appear because of intoxication due to the significant increase in pathogenic bacteria. Further intoxication causes a low-grade temperature, usually accompanied by sweating. In addition, a person's appearance is characterized by a pale, unhealthy glow due to increased temperature and rapid loss of weight.

The appearance of these symptoms should alert any person to push to go to a medical facility.

Further development of the disease is accompanied by a decrease in the blood level of erythrocytes, leucocytes, hemoglobin, which is typical for severe anemia and leukopenia. As a result, added new symptoms and the human condition is getting worse.

Then there are the first specific symptoms of tuberculosis:

• Occurs dry and severe cough that is exacerbated in the morning and evening hours.
• Cough gradually becomes wet, sputum stands. This cough does not go away on their own and accompanies the patient during the development of TB permanently.
• The constant wet cough appears hemoptysis, ie the production of small amounts of blood with sputum.
• The patient suffering from pains in the chest, difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath.

The symptoms of other forms of tuberculosis

In addition to pulmonary tuberculosis, there are other varieties of this disease, which are distinguished by their symptoms. Symptoms of extrapulmonary TB depend on the location of the infection. For example, in tuberculosis of the digestive tract develops diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting. Pain in the abdomen and blood in the stool.

Tuberculosis of the Central nervous system of the patient suffer from headaches, accompanied by irritability and vomiting.

Tuberculosis of bones and joints is characterized, first and foremost, pain in bones, joints, back, as well as a limitation.

Tuberculosis of the genitourinary system are affected most often the kidneys, resulting in violations of the process of urination. Pain and cramps during urination, the feeling neporozhnego the bladder, blood in the urine is only a small part of the features of this form of tuberculosis.

Distinguish also tuberculosis of the skin characterized by the appearance of nodules on the skin. These nodules eventually ripen and burst purulent contents.

All the symptoms of tuberculosis can be attributed to other diseases, therefore, to determine the correct diagnosis as soon as possible to consult with a specialist.

Types and classification

According to conventional classification MSCH (international statistical classification of diseases and health problems, X revision), tuberculosis belongs to the class of infectious and parasitic diseases. There are 5 types of the disease:

1. The tuberculosis of respiratory organs confirmed bacteriologically or histologically,
2. Tuberculosis of the respiratory system, not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically,
3. Tuberculosis of the nervous system,
4. Tuberculosis of other organs,
5. Miliary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is divided into primary and secondary. Primary, in turn, can be dalekanium (tuberculous intoxication in children and adolescents) and localized (primary tuberculous complex, which is a hearth in the place of the infection, and tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes).

Secondary tuberculosis is divided by the localization of pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms. Pulmonary tuberculosis depending on the prevalence and extent of lesions is divided into such types as:

• Miliary,
• Disseminated,
• Focal,
• Infiltrative,
• Cavernous,
• Fibro-cavernous,
• Cirrhotic.

As individual forms selectedtuberculous pleurisy, empyema, and sarcoidosis.

Outside the lungs tuberculosis is found in the brain and the spinal cord and meninges, tuberculosis of intestines, peritoneum, mesenteric lymph nodes, bones, joints, kidneys, genital organs, mammary glands, skin and subcutaneous tissue, eyes. Sometimes there is other organ.

In the development of tuberculosis distinguish between different phases: infiltration, disintegration, contamination, absorption, condensation, scarring, and calcification.

In relation to the selection of bacteria distinguish open tuberculosis (with the release of bacteria MBT-positive) and closed (without selecting, MBT-negative).

Source of infection

The development of pulmonary tuberculosis is triggered by mycobacteria such as the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (tubercle Bacillus) and Mycobacterium avium complex. Infection most commonly occurs through airborne droplets. Simply by being near an infected person to inhale pathogenic bacteria that are actively released when sneezing and coughing.

Rarely, infection occurs through the digestive tract, when the patient has eaten contaminated product or water. However, infection in a similar way needs a large number of pathogenic bacteria, which explains the rarity of such a path of transmission.

There is also a contact mode of transmission is realized by contamination of mucosa through the conjunctiva.

It is also possible the development of congenital TB when the fetus is infected through the placenta or from mother during childbirth. In this case, as a rule, develops pulmonary tuberculosis.

Get TB easily from a sick person, who, talking, sneezing or coughing, spreads itself around a large number of sticks Koch.

The risk of Contracting pulmonary tuberculosis is determined by 2 main factors:

• Contact with patients with open tuberculosis,
• Increased susceptibility to infection.

At risk of Contracting TB include:

• The people who are in close household contact with tuberculosis patients (members of the same family, the students in the Dorm),
• The persons abusing alcohol, drugs,
• Prisoners and employees of penitentiary institutions,
• Medical worker,
• Persons without permanent residence.

All groups of persons with the risk of TB infection automatically fall within the category of persons with an increased risk of tuberculosis, but for the occurrence of the disease another condition of reduced immunity.

A group of persons with an increased risk of pulmonary tuberculosis include:

1. Persons who have had a recent infection (the first 2 years after infection),
2. Persons with suspected tuberculosis in the past,
3. Persons suffering from HIV infection, diabetes mellitus,
4. Persons undergoing treatment with medicines that reduce the activity of the immune system,
5. Drug abusers, alcohol, tobacco,
6. Persons with poor nutrition.

Summary

So, the early stage of tuberculosis are very difficult to detect. The first signs are not specific for tuberculosis and can occur gradually. It all depends on the type of disease and its forms. To detect this disease at an early stage is not easy. Listen to your body and remember that it is necessary to always monitor their health. And if you feel the symptoms mentioned above in the article, then pay attention to it. Once again test the condition of the body and contact a doctor will not hurt. It is very important not to miss the first symptoms, and early treatment of tuberculosis.

It is worth remembering that the most important factor in the early stages of tuberculosis is elevated temperature. Of course, the small increases don't have to worry, but if the temperature is stable and does not pass, like the flu, you should visit the doctor.

It is also interesting to learn about the ways of infection with pneumonia and no less insidious disease — tonsillitis.