Symptoms & Signs
The primary infection usually has no symptoms.
Symptoms of disseminated tuberculosis include:
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Fever
- General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Weight loss
Other symptoms that can occur with this disease:
- Abdominal swelling
- Chills
- Joint pain
- Pale skin due to anemia (pallor)
- Swollen glands
Note: The symptoms will depend upon the affected areas of the body.
Diagnosis & Tests
A physical exam may show:
- Swollen liver
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Swollen spleen
Tests for tuberculosis include:
- Biopsies and cultures of affected organs or tissues
- Bronchoscopy for biopsy or culture
- Chest x-ray
- Fundoscopy may reveal retinal lesions
- Open lung biopsy
- Pleural biopsy
- Sputum cultures
- Tuberculin skin test
This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:
- Mycobacterial culture of bone marrow
- Peripheral smear
- Serum calcium (may be elevated)
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Disseminated tuberculosis : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Disseminated tuberculosis : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Disseminated tuberculosis : Treatment
Review Date : 12/1/2009
Reviewed By : David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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