Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis history and symptoms

The general symptoms of MDR-TB will be the same as drug suceptible tuberculosis, these include weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis include cough, chest pain, and hemoptysis. Tuberculosis is particularly difficult to diagnose in children, as these may not present with common findings.

Clinicians should ask about the patient’s history of TB and MDR-TB exposure, infection, or disease. It is also important to consider demographic factors (e.g., country of origin, age, ethnic or racial group, occupation) that may increase the patient’s risk for exposure to drug-resistant TB. Also, clinicians should determine whether the patient has medical conditions, especially HIV infection, that increase the risk of latent TB infection progressing to TB disease.

When the disease becomes active, 75% of the cases are located in the lungs. Pulmonary tuberculosis should be suspected in persons who have the following symptoms:^[1]

• Cough (most common symptom)

• Initially dry cough that progresses to productive.
• Persistent cough, usually for more than three weeks.

• Fever
• Night sweats
• Unexplained weight loss
• Hemoptysis
• Chest pain
• Anorexia
• Malaise
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Dyspnea

In the other 25% of active cases, the infection moves from the lungs, causing other kinds of TB more common in immunosuppressed persons and young children.

An especially serious form is disseminated TB, more commonly known as miliary tuberculosis. Although extrapulmonary TB is not contagious, it may co-exist with pulmonary TB, which is contagious.^[2]

All forms of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis can include symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis such as malaise, night sweats, cough, weight loss, and can be associated with an active pulmonary infection.

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