common symptoms of tuberculosis to watch out for

World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated on March 24 every year, and marks the building of public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts made to eradicate the disease. Tuberculosis is a hidden disease that may not be perceived as a serious problem until it actually becomes too serious. This disease affects more people in middle and low-income countries, like India. In 2012 alone, around 8.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis, out of which 1.3 million died of the disease, and the number has been similar ever since.

It is important to know about a disease that is so common and so fatal. The disease definitely shows symptoms that one should take seriously, and start treatment as soon as possible to make sure the disease does not turn fatal. Very common symptoms that can be mistaken for normal common cold and cough, or symptoms of any other disease are coughing that lasts for weeks, fatigue, fever, night chills and sweats. These symptoms can make you think that you are just under the weather and a common OTC medicine will cure the problem. However, if these symptoms are accompanied by the following uncommon symptoms of Tuberculosis, make sure you visit a doctor as soon as possible.

Coughing up blood
Normal coughing could be a result of a viral infection you have contracted due to the weather, or by just being around someone with the infection. However, if you cough up blood while coughing normally, it is a matter of worry. It could be a symptom of active tuberculosis and you must see a doctor immediately.


Loss of appetite
Not feeling hungry when you are sick is normal, but when the problem happens for a prolonged period of time, it means you are sicker than you think you are. If the above symptoms are accompanied by a considerable loss of appetite for a prolonged period of time, you must get yourself tested.

Effects on other organs
If tuberculosis happens outside your lungs, it will affect other organs differently and you must know these symptoms. You must watch out for these symptoms also to detect the problem early. If you have the tuberculosis of the spine, you may experience backaches, and tuberculosis of the kidney may cause blood in your urine.

Chest pain
One common and serious symptom of tuberculosis is chest pain. However, most people associate it with cough and cold and do not take it seriously. Chronic chest pain can also occur if you are experiencing a heart attack, and therefore you must visit a doctor if the pain arises very often.


Sweating at night
Something that may feel like just a weather condition, where you sweat at night could actually be a symptom of a disease. If you feel that the sweating is happening without reason and is accompanied by the above other symptoms, you must make a visit to your doctor soon.