Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

Signs & Symptoms
TB bacteria most commonly grow in the lungs, and can cause symptoms such as:​

• A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
• Pain in the chest
• Coughing up blood or sputum (mucus from deep inside the lungs)

• Weakness or fatigue
• Weight loss
• No appetite
• Chills
• Fever
• Sweating at night​

​Risk Factors
Generally, persons at high risk for developing TB disease fall into two categories:

• Persons who have been recently infected with TB bacteria
• Persons with medical conditions that weaken the immune system
• Close contacts of a person with infectious TB disease
• Persons who have immigrated from areas of the world with high rates of TB
• Children less than 5 years of age who have a positive TB test
• Groups with high rates of TB transmission
  • homeless persons
  • injection drug users
  • persons with HIV infection
• Persons who work or reside with people who are at high risk for TB in facilities or institutions such as:
  • hospitals
  • homeless shelters
  • correctional facilities
  • nursing homes
  • residential homes for those with HIV
• Persons with medical conditions that weaken the immune system 

Complications
Without treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. Untreated active disease typically affects your lungs, but it can spread to other parts of your body through your bloodstream. Examples of tuberculosis complications include:

• Back pain
• Back stiffness
• Tuberculosis arthritis affects the hips and knees
• Headache
• Impaired liver and kidney function
• Heart inflammation (cardiac tamponade) can be fatal

Communicable / Non-communicable
Communicable