What should be noted in the diagnosis of tuberculosis combined with AIDS?

Written by Xiong Hong Hai
Infectious Disease
Updated on September 19, 2024
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The diagnosis of tuberculosis in individuals infected with AIDS generally involves examining certain clinical symptoms such as coughing, expectoration, low-grade fever, night sweats, and blood in sputum. Additionally, it requires analysis of specific characteristics in chest imaging, such as tuberculosis lesions identified in chest CT scans that are relatively specific. Microbial tests on sputum, such as sputum culture and acid-fast bacillus smear, are also essential. When necessary, tests for tuberculosis-infected T-cells can be conducted to provide a comprehensive diagnosis. After diagnosing concurrent pulmonary tuberculosis, anti-tuberculosis treatment is required.

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Written by Xiong Hong Hai
Infectious Disease
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What are some common early symptoms of tuberculosis?

Patients with tuberculosis tend to exhibit symptoms such as cough, expectoration, low-grade fever, night sweats, afternoon feverishness, and blood in sputum in the early stages. Systemic symptoms of tuberculosis include afternoon feverishness, which refers to the body temperature starting to rise in the afternoon and returning to normal by early morning. Night sweats refer to sweating profusely during sleep, which stops upon waking. These tuberculosis-related symptoms are commonly seen in the early stages of the disease.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Is the disease with symptoms of chest tightness, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and palpitations tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis can cause symptoms such as fever, night sweats, cough, and hemoptysis, and in severe cases, it can lead to chest tightness, shortness of breath, and palpitations. However, if a patient experiences shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and palpitations without symptoms like fever, hemoptysis, or night sweats, it is advisable to consider heart disease or chronic lung disease, or pneumonia leading to cardiopulmonary insufficiency. To rule out these conditions, examinations such as a chest CT and cardiac echocardiography should be conducted. Patients experiencing chest tightness and difficulty breathing are advised to seek medical attention at a hospital as soon as possible.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Is pulmonary tuberculosis contagious?

The source of transmission for tuberculosis mainly comes from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, also known as bacterium-shedding patients. This is determined when tuberculosis bacteria are found in the patient's sputum. Tuberculous pleurisy, commonly referred to as tuberculous pleurisy, is not contagious. This is because the pleural effusion is confined within the pleural cavity, isolated from the external environment, and the chances of detecting tuberculosis bacteria in the pleural fluid are very low. Therefore, it is generally not contagious and there is no need for concern. The treatment duration for tuberculous pleurisy is longer than that for pulmonary tuberculosis, typically lasting 9 to 12 months. It is important to follow medical advice and complete the course of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

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Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
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Does increased lung markings indicate tuberculosis?

Increased pulmonary markings are not an exclusive indicator of tuberculosis. The increase in pulmonary markings could be a sign of acute bronchitis or chronic pulmonary congestion. Additionally, although patients with bronchiectasis often show characteristics in a chest CT, it might only appear as increased pulmonary markings in a chest X-ray. Tuberculosis can present in various forms of lesions, often coexisting in multiple forms. Such forms may include infiltrative lesions, fibrous strip-like lesions, nodular lesions, or even lesions with calcification. For diagnosing tuberculosis, relying solely on chest X-rays or CT scans is sometimes insufficient. Further confirmation often requires additional tests such as sputum acid-fast staining and bronchoscopy.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Symptoms of tuberculosis in children

Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can affect various organs throughout the body, but pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common. Initially, symptoms typically include some signs of tuberculosis toxicity, such as prolonged low-grade fever accompanied by coughing. Sometimes the coughing is not severe and may be mild, but in some cases, severe coughing can lead to hemoptysis and other conditions. Night sweats are also common, generally presenting with afternoon low-grade fever and night sweating, along with general fatigue, loss of appetite, difficulty eating, and weight loss.