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Overview
Types of
Symptoms
Medications
Tests
Vaccinations
Risk factors
Related questions
HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients
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Conditions
Bacterial infections
Mycobacterium infections
TB (tuberculosis)

TB (tuberculosis)

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A potentially serious infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the lungs, but can spread to other organs.

Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge reviewed this

39 year experience in Internal Medicine

Is a type of:

Mycobacterium infections • Opportunistic infections in AIDS

How long it usually lasts:

Chronic (lasts years to lifelong)

How common it is:

Common
Baby
0-2
Preteen
6-13
Teenager
14-18
Young adult
19-40
Very common
Middle-aged adult
41-60
Very common

How it can usually be treated?

Can be cured with medical treatment

How is it usually diagnosed?

Requires diagnosis by a medical professional

Body locations

Chest

Types of

Latent tuberculosis
Condition
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis
Condition
Load more

Symptoms

Fever
Malaise
Cough
Chills
Fever, mild (99.0 F - 100.9 F)
Load more

Medications

Ratings show how effective doctors think these medications are at treating TB (tuberculosis)
Isoniazid
4.8
4 reviews
Rifampin
4.3
3 reviews
Pyrazinamide
4
4 reviews
Rifapentine
4
2 reviews
Ethionamide
4
1 review
Load more

Tests

HIV test
Complete blood count
Sputum gram stain and culture
TB skin test
Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA
Load more

Vaccinations

BCG vaccine
Load more

Risk factors

Personal

Injection drug use
Immunosuppression
Recent dental procedure
Recent sore throat
Prolonged bed rest
Long plane rides

Related questions

A 41-year old asked:

I was wondering is a person with a history of TB (tuberculosis) still eligible to be employed?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 20-year old asked:

My TB (tuberculosis) test is positive, but I don't feel any symptoms. Why?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

A 46-year old asked:

Please tell me what a normal result after a TB test (tuberculosis) looks like?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 44-year old asked:

Why must I take tuberculosis (tb) medicine even if my results were negative?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 33-year old asked:

What are the signs and symptoms of tuberculosis tb?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 45-year old female asked:

What happen when someone with latent tuberculosis (tb) goes without treatment?Can get worst?Can become active tb?Can goes away on the own?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 32-year old asked:

Where can you get a bcg, or bacille calmette-guerin, vaccine for tuberculosis (tb)?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 28-year old female asked:

Tuberculosis vaccinated, TB test positive...Will my ANA be positive because of TB test positive due to vaccine?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 38-year old male asked:

If tuberculosis shows negatibe in everh test..But all thr symptoms supportd it...Doed TB medicine is advisable?

2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in

A 42-year old asked:

My son had tuberculosis when he was 9years old. His coughing however sounds really bad. Is it possible for TB to have a relapse?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 38-year old asked:

What are the causes of tuberculosis? How contagious is TB and can breathing clean air help?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 20-year old female asked:

Can treated TB lymphadenitis pass to fetus or can baby be born with tuberculosis?

1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in

A 36-year old asked:

If you have a positive tuberculosis skin test does that mean latent or active tb?

2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

A 22-year old male asked:

Can I get Tuberculosis from someone who had it 5 years ago but took anti tb drugs back then? Is that person still contagious? I talked to him for 30 seconds while he was 1 meter away. Is this enough for me to have contracted tb?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 39-year old female asked:

Regarding tuberculosis my daughter recently moved into a college dorm and her roommate has TB but is medicated. Is she at harm?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

A 17-year old male asked:

My 16 y/o friend has pulminary tuberculosis. His doctor said that the disease doesn't activate until he gets older. Can he transmit TB to me?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 19-year old female asked:

I used a hair dye that apparently has PPD in it...and I keep seeing online things about PPD and Tuberculosis? Does this mean I'm going to get TB?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 19-year old male asked about a 24-year old female:

What would be your best prescription for tuberculosis meningitis. Friend is already on treatment, need second opinion only. She's on TB meds only.

2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in

A 19-year old female asked:

If my TB skin test ran positive but i've never had tuberculosis, does that mean I have latent tb? And do I have to take antiobiotics if I do have it?

3 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

A 21-year old female asked:

Does rifampicin & isoniazid TB drugs cause infertility ? & can tuberculosis cervical lymphadenitis cause infertility?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 20-year old female asked:

Can Tuberculosis lymphadenitis cause infertility Can treated TB pass to fetus can baby get TB from me even after treatment?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 26-year old female asked:

When I was 4 years old I had tuberculosis positive yesterday after being exposed by a classmate. I am now 26 I did the recommendation treatment for TB at the time for 6 months. Can it come back if you have done treatment? Can it cause infertility?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 20-year old female asked:

After treatment of lymp node tuberculosis can I plan for pregnancy? During pregnancy TB can relapse? Can the fetus be infected with TB ?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 29-year old female asked:

Affected by tuberculosis before and had medicines fot tht and cured. Will that cause birth defects in baby conceiving aftr 10 years?Dont have TB now

1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in

A 40-year old asked:

When comparing tuberculosis, pertussis, and pneumonia, why don't we have a good vaccine for tb?

1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in

A 36-year old asked:

Can all europeans test positive for tuberculosis on the TB skin test because europeans get a vaccine for it?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 20-year old female asked:

Can TB lymphadenitis pass to fetus even after the mother is treated? Is there a risk for baby being born with tuberculosis?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 41-year old female asked:

Could the drug isonizide cause peripheral neuropathy years later? I took it for nine months because of exposure to tuberculosis. I do not have tb.

2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

A 21-year old male asked:

My normal ultrasound, urine analysis, but friend had tb, now I have chronic epididymitis not responsive to antibiotics, is it tuberculosis epididymits?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A member asked:

Hello doctor please help me.I am having anti tuberculosis treatment for two months. I have gland tb.I for fever in the evening. Why doctor. Plz help?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

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