Does tuberculosis cause fever?

Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
Updated on September 22, 2024
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Does tuberculosis cause fever? Certainly, fever can occur. Fever is one of the most common clinical manifestations of tuberculosis, which can be mild or high fever. Most cases of tuberculosis mainly present as afternoon febrile flushes, or say, an evening low-grade fever. In a few cases, such as infectious pneumonia or more severe infections like tuberculous pleurisy, there can be high fever, and these fever episodes may last a long time and be recurrent, making them difficult to control.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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How is tuberculosis transmitted?

How is pulmonary tuberculosis transmitted? First, we need to know the pathogen of pulmonary tuberculosis, which is the tuberculosis bacillus. Tuberculosis bacillus is a type of bacterium that can live in our surrounding environment. Pulmonary tuberculosis also needs a source of infection, that is, a patient carrying the tuberculosis bacillus. The most common source of tuberculosis infection is usually patients with secondary pulmonary tuberculosis. Then, its mode of transmission mainly includes coughing, sneezing, laughing, and talking loudly, which can release the tuberculosis bacilli from the patient into the air, spreading them through droplets. Droplet transmission is the most important route for the spread of pulmonary tuberculosis. Additionally, pulmonary tuberculosis can also be transmitted through other routes such as the gastrointestinal tract or the skin, although these methods of transmission are less common.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Does tuberculosis cause headaches in its initial stage?

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lungs, generally transmitted through respiratory droplets or direct contact. When infected with tuberculosis, symptoms that often appear include low-grade fever in the afternoons, coughing, expectoration, hemoptysis, chest pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Some may experience weight loss, fatigue, and night sweats. Therefore, when patients with pulmonary tuberculosis exhibit an afternoon low-grade fever, it often leads to the occurrence of headaches. Therefore, it is very common for patients in the early stages of pulmonary tuberculosis to exhibit various symptoms, primarily due to the rise in body temperature.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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Tuberculosis is transmitted through the air.

The transmission of tuberculosis primarily depends on understanding its causative agent, which is the tubercle bacillus, also known simply as the tuberculosis bacillus. The main source of infection in tuberculosis is from patients who test positive for tuberculosis bacillus in their sputum. The respiratory tract is the principal route of transmission for tuberculosis patients. When patients who test positive for bacillus in their sputum cough, expel sputum, sneeze, or even speak loudly, they generate a large amount of droplets containing the tuberculosis bacillus. These bacteria can remain suspended in the air for a relatively long time. In poorly ventilated indoor environments, they may stay airborne for up to five hours. Healthy individuals can contract respiratory infections upon inhaling these bacteria. Furthermore, a very small portion of patients are infected through consuming milk or other dairy products from cows with tuberculosis.

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Written by Hu Xue Jun
Pulmonology
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Symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis

Now let me talk about the symptoms of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can invade many organs, with pulmonary tuberculosis being the most common. The main symptoms are respiratory symptoms and systemic symptoms. The respiratory symptoms are mainly manifested as coughing, expectoration for more than two weeks, or blood in the sputum, which are common suspicious symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis. Generally, the cough is mild, either dry or with a small amount of mucus. When cavities form, the amount of sputum may increase, and if there is a secondary bacterial infection, the sputum may become purulent. If there is concomitant bronchial tuberculosis, it will manifest as an irritating cough. About one-third of patients will experience hemoptysis, and some may experience massive hemoptysis. If the tuberculosis lesions involve the pleura, it can manifest as chest pain. Dyspnea is more common in patients with caseous pneumonia or those with a large amount of pleural effusion. These are local symptoms. Systemic symptoms mainly manifest as fever, which is the most common manifestation, often as long-term afternoon fever, meaning it begins to rise in the afternoon or evening, drops in the morning, and then returns to normal. Some patients may also experience fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss, etc. Women of childbearing age may experience menstrual disorders, etc.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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Methods of Tuberculosis Examination

The examination methods for tuberculosis are now quite numerous, but achieving a diagnosis is still relatively difficult. The most commonly used method is still chest imaging, mainly X-rays and CT scans. Additionally, there are bacteriological examinations, such as examining sputum or other samples like pleural effusion under a microscope after staining. Culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with sputum being the most commonly used sample, followed by pleural effusions and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, is also common. A newer method is molecular biology examination, also known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA nucleic acid testing. Then there is the pathological examination of tuberculosis, commonly referred to as biopsy, which involves taking a small piece of tissue from the lesion for observation. Moreover, some new immunological tests have emerged, including the traditional tuberculin skin test, still relevant today, and the gamma interferon release assays, along with traditional tests like Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibody tests. Additionally, some patients might require more invasive examinations, such as bronchoscopy, which allows direct observation of the trachea and bronchi and can be used for brush tests or biopsies at the lesion site.