Primary form of pulmonary tuberculosis: the main symptoms
The primary form begins to form immediatelyafter tuberculosis bacteria enter the human body. After Koch's bacilli enter the human body, namely the lungs, they begin their active reproduction. This forms a focus of inflammation. The cells of the human immune system are concentrated around it. Since the body is not yet familiar with such bacteria, it does not know how to fight them. This can result in the infection spreading much wider. Primary pulmonary tuberculosis is characterized by the development of the so-called primary effect or primary focus. What are the symptoms of primary tuberculosis? The primary effect (focus) consists of a small area of inflamed lung tissue, as well as inflammation of all lymphatic vessels through which the infected lymph drains. In addition, the primary focus consists of inflamed and enlarged lymph nodes of the mediastinum, where the infection ends. Symptoms of primary tuberculosis are nonspecific and usually manifest themselves very weakly and imperceptibly. Patients usually experience decreased appetite, malaise, fatigue and heavy sweating, especially at night. Sometimes there is a decrease in body weight, a slight increase in body temperature (but long enough). Most often, the symptoms are so weak that the patient simply does not pay much attention to them. After the primary focus heals, the damaged lung tissues are saturated with calcium salts and as a result harden. This is how the so-called Ghon focus is formed. Such foci are recorded in the lungs of many elderly people who once suffered from latent forms of the disease. Healing of the inflammation focus in the mediastinal lymph nodes occurs by the same mechanism. It is worth noting that both in the lungs themselves and in the lymph nodes, tuberculosis bacteria persist for a long time. If favorable conditions for them appear, a relapse of the disease may occur. This pattern of formation of the primary disease should be considered the mildest. More severe development of this disease also takes place. The form of the disease is primarily influenced by the ability of the body and the immune system to resist various infections and fight them. People whose immunity is very weak are most susceptible to severe forms of tuberculosis and its complicated course. Tuberculosis infection is capable of generating more and more new complications, calmly and freely spreading in the human body. The development of the primary form of tuberculosis can be significantly complicated by the appearance of a large focus of inflammation, tuberculous pneumonia. Infection from this focus can easily move to the other lung. In the most severe cases of the disease, blood poisoning can occur or the appearance of the largest number of infection zones of internal organs.
Secondary form of pulmonary tuberculosis
In case of re-infection of a person oras a result of the reactivation of the primary focus of infection, the so-called secondary tuberculosis may develop. It is worth saying that when the secondary form of the disease occurs, the human immune system is already familiar with the causative agent of this disease. It is due to this that the infectious process and its formation differ significantly from the primary form. Otherwise, the secondary form of lung disease is called disseminated tuberculosis (or disseminated). This form of the disease is characterized by the development of a larger number of foci of inflammation in the lungs, and their sizes can be different. The secondary form of the disease can be chronic, acute, and subacute. Disseminated tuberculosis can occur as a result of decreased immunity, a deficiency of vitamins necessary for the body, or in the presence of chronic diseases. Most often, the size of the disseminated tuberculosis zones is not large in size. Here it is appropriate to use the name meliary tuberculosis. In all other cases, disseminated tuberculosis of the lungs can manifest itself in the form of fairly large foci of infection. Disseminated tuberculosis is most often only part of the spread of infection throughout the human body. Simultaneously with the damage of lung tissue, there may also be damage to the spleen, kidneys, liver, brain, meninges, heart, joints and bones. The symptoms of secondary tuberculosis, like primary tuberculosis, are non-specific and can even be mistaken for the symptoms of a common cold, bronchitis, pneumonia or acute respiratory infections. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the symptoms of this disease, unlike all the other listed diseases, persist for a long time, and only intensify over time. In severe forms of disseminated tuberculosis, there may be disturbances in the normal functioning of the lungs. This may manifest itself in the form of shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. Some of the symptoms of irritation of the meninges may be observed. They manifest themselves in the form of tension in the muscles of the occipital part, nausea and vomiting. Severe intoxication of the whole organism is also possible, which may be expressed in the form of high temperature and impaired consciousness.
Focal tuberculosis within the lungs
Focal tuberculosis is characterized bythe presence of only one focus of inflammation of varying sizes inside the lungs. As a rule, focal tuberculosis appears as a result of the awakening of infection in the focus of a previously suffered disease. Otherwise, focal tuberculosis is called infiltrative. As a result of the development of this infection, a focus of pneumonia of the lungs is formed. The symptoms of focal tuberculosis are very difficult to distinguish from the symptoms of pneumonia and bronchitis. However, it should be known that focal tuberculosis is characterized by hemoptysis, the most prolonged symptoms, and zero response to conventional therapy. Pulmonary tuberculoma is considered one of the most common forms of focal tuberculosis. Otherwise, it is an abscess surrounded by a hard shell of connective tissue. During the formation of a tuberculoma, exacerbation processes or, conversely, remission can be observed. The size of the tuberculoma increases over time, and its area can become a cavern. Cavernous tuberculosis is characterized by the appearance of large areas of destruction of lung tissue, in place of which a cavity remains. The shell of this cavity consists of dense connective tissue. The cavern can reach several centimeters in height. The formation of a cavity in tuberculosis takes a long time and can be accompanied by pulmonary hemorrhage, as well as the development of pneumothorax.
Diagnosis of the disease
The most common test for the presence oftuberculosis - this is a vaccination called Mantoux. This method of testing for the presence of the disease is considered ineffective. To determine the disease, a method of examining smears and studying them under a microscope is used. However, this method is also far from being a standard. Sputum culture can detect the presence of tuberculosis. But the best and most modern method for determining the disease is considered to be PCR. This is a special DNA diagnostic. Sputum from the patient is taken for analysis, and the result can be found out in 2-3 days. The reliability of this method is the highest.
How to treat such a lung disease?
The disease requires immediate treatment.Signs of tuberculosis in the lungs can be very different. As soon as the first symptoms begin to appear, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Timely treatment at the hospital will help to avoid complications and gives a chance to prevent re-infection. To detect the disease in the early stages, a medical examination is necessary. Even if the symptoms are general or not pronounced, you should contact specialists. And if earlier tuberculosis was considered a fatal disease, then modern medicine and drugs can defeat this infectious disease. In no case should you treat tuberculosis on your own. This can lead to the fact that the bacteria of the infection will become resistant to drugs, which will make its treatment almost impossible. Treatment of the disease lasts, as a rule, at least 6 months. In severe cases of the disease, the duration of treatment can increase up to 2 years. Treatment should be systematic, there should be no breaks. After detection of tuberculosis of the lungs, the patient is placed in a hospital, where he or she can stay up to 2 months. This time is quite enough to significantly reduce the release of bacteria of the disease. Only after it is known for sure that the patient no longer poses any threat to others can he be released home, where further treatment will continue, which is carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
