Does tuberculosis cause coughing?

Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
Updated on September 18, 2024
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Do tuberculosis patients cough? Most tuberculosis patients can experience coughing, and the duration of the cough is generally quite long, often exceeding two to three weeks and in some cases even reaching over six months to a year. However, there is also a small number of patients who might not cough due to the different types of tuberculosis they have. Additionally, not all cases of coughing indicate tuberculosis. A tuberculosis patient might cough, but they might also not cough, and while a person who coughs could possibly have tuberculosis, not all coughs are due to tuberculosis. There is no definitive equivalence between tuberculosis and coughing. I hope this explanation helps you understand the relationship between tuberculosis and coughing. Thank you.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
1min 3sec home-news-image

Does tuberculosis cause fever in its initial stage?

Tuberculosis is caused by an infection of the lungs by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and it is a very common infectious respiratory disease clinically. Typically, the early stage of tuberculosis is accompanied by mild fever to varying degrees, usually occurring in the afternoon, along with coughing, expectoration of blood, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and even chest pain, weight loss, fatigue, and night sweats as accompanying clinical symptoms. In the early stages, the diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients is generally made through these specific clinical symptoms, along with some sputum culture and chest X-ray examinations. Usually, most patients with early-stage tuberculosis will experience symptoms of low-grade fever, but these patients have a characteristic of fever that occurs in the afternoon and does not require antipyretics as it can return to normal by itself in the evening.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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Does tuberculosis get inherited?

Is tuberculosis hereditary? Tuberculosis is not a hereditary disease; it is an infectious disease. Infectious diseases and hereditary diseases are two completely different concepts. Tuberculosis is generally infectious, which means that in a family, if parents are infected, they can easily transmit the tuberculosis bacteria to their children or others around them. Therefore, many people might mistakenly believe that tuberculosis is hereditary. However, this is not the case; tuberculosis is transmitted through the tuberculosis bacteria.

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Written by Han Jian Hua
Infectious Disease
1min 19sec home-news-image

Can tuberculosis be cured?

Early diagnosis and standard treatment can often cure tuberculosis. Tuberculosis requires anti-tuberculosis treatment. Effective anti-tuberculosis treatment must follow five principles: early intervention, proper dosage, combination therapy, regular administration, and full-course treatment to ensure thorough treatment. Consistency is crucial; one must not stop taking medication, substitute drugs, or alter dosages on their own, as doing so not only makes it difficult to cure the disease but also increases the risk of developing drug resistance and complicates treatment further. Additionally, it is important to supplement nutrition appropriately and maintain a healthy diet in daily life. Since tuberculosis is a chronic, debilitating disease, it is advisable to consume foods rich in calories, proteins, and vitamins. Ensuring adequate rest and sleep is vital. Engaging in moderate physical activities, such as outdoor exercises, while avoiding strenuous activities and factors that could exacerbate conditions, such as overexertion, exposure to cold, and catching a cold, is also important.

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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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Can tuberculosis relapse?

Tuberculosis can relapse, and the answer is definitely yes. In clinical practice, we see many patients who have had tuberculosis and, years later, experience a recurrence of the disease, even multiple recurrences. However, the probability of this is generally not high. As long as everyone follows the doctor's instructions for standard anti-tuberculosis treatment and completes the full course of treatment, most patients can be cured. However, there are a few people whose treatment process is not standard, or who stop taking their medication on their own, and these actions can increase the risk of tuberculosis recurrence.