According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the year 2018 saw as much as 10 million people diagnosed with various forms of tuberculosis worldwide. Also known as TB, it’s one of the world’s most commonly spread infections – and it’s not just a condition that affects the developing world, but can be found everywhere in the world.
Characteristics signs of a TB infection can include a cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks at ta time, and it’s like to include other symptoms and signs including a fever, sweating, shivering, losing weight and eventually coughing up blood.
Tuberculosis can be treated, but is highly infectious and requires immediate treatment as well as proper use of the medication for a certain period of time. Treatment for TB is only entirely effective when the patient finishes the course of medication exactly as prescribed – and not one skipped dosage can be risked.
It doesn’t just affect the lungs, but can affect any other “tubes” of the body, including the reproductive system: An advanced tuberculosis infection can settle in any part of the body that isn’t restricted to the lungs.
If you suspect you have TB, seek out immediate medical attention for treatment and tests.
Here are 14 characteristic signs of TB that can help you to identify when it’s time to be tested.
1. A Fever
The presence of a fever is one of the first things that a doctor will test for when they suspect any kind of immune system response, infection or illness to be there. Getting a fever means that your body is reacting to something – either external or internal – that it sees as a potential intruder in the body.
A fever is a sign that your immune system is readying itself to fight off a perceived threat, which in some cases can be the body’s own immunity attacking healthy cells along with other ones.
A fever that doesn’t go away is a signal of a slightly more serious infection that’s affecting your body, or of a chronic condition that triggers this response.
Combined with any of the other symptoms on this list, a fever could mean that you have tuberculosis and should have yourself tested for it as soon as possible.
