The cough goes away with the treatment of tuberculosis. How to distinguish ordinary cough from tuberculosis? Bear fat cough for tuberculosis

This is an infectious lung disease that has its own specifics. Cough in tuberculosis occurs due to acid-fast mycobacteria. An interesting fact is that tuberculosis can have various clinical and radiological manifestations, it is characterized by a variety of pathogenesis, and the outcome after the onset of the disease can also be very different. It is worth noting that the cough has an unusual character precisely with tuberculosis. Cough with tuberculosis: the appearance and characteristics - it is this symptom of this disease that should be considered in more detail.

Cough with tuberculosis: characteristics of the disease

Cough with tuberculosis does not manifest itself constantly. If a focal form of the disease occurs, there is no cough at all. In the case of miliary tuberculosis, it can be very pronounced. Basically, in patients with tuberculosis, the cough is dry and when it appears, a small amount of sputum is secreted. With tuberculosis, which has a destructive form, the cough is deaf and is characterized by a high metallic timbre. This sound is due to cavity resonance.

Cough with tuberculosis: the appearance of a symptom

Cough with tuberculosis occurs mainly in the morning, when taking an upright position after getting out of bed. During sleep, the sensitivity of the mucosa decreases significantly, so by morning a huge amount of sputum accumulates, which actually erupts outward when getting out of bed. It is necessary to take into account the fact that a small cough can cause a whole reaction and drag on for a long time, until an acceptable clearing of the lungs. In addition, the contemplation and hearing of a cough is a rather contagious thing. For example, if one person in the room coughs, then other people present in the room will definitely support him.

Cough with tuberculosis will help in the diagnosis

By the nature of the cough in tuberculosis, one can judge the processes occurring in the lungs. For example, in children with tuberculous bronchoadenitis of a tumor-like form, the sound of coughing gives off a metallic tint and has some convulsions. In medicine, it is called bitonal. This sound occurs due to a change in the speed of air entering the lungs due to an increase in the lymph nodes of the large bronchi.

With tuberculosis of the larynx, there is insufficient closure of the glottis. The cough in this case is silent, hoarse and has a special specificity. According to patients with this disease, the throat seems to be filled with fluff.

With any appearance of a prolonged cough that does not have any special external causes, it is necessary to consult your doctor and undergo a fluorography and x-ray examination of the lungs.

Symptoms of tuberculosis can be very diverse. Symptoms of tuberculosis largely depend on the type of development, location, form, infection, as well as on the individuality of the patient's body. A variety of signs makes it difficult to recognize tuberculosis, which in turn is the reason for a late visit to a specialist with all the ensuing consequences. Cough with tuberculosis and the danger of hemoptysis is the topic of this article.

Cough with tuberculosis - features of the problem

Cough with tuberculosis is a constant symptom of this lung disease. At the beginning of tuberculosis, the cough is persistent and dry, which worsens at night and in the morning. With further development of tuberculosis, the cough may eventually become wet with mucus. With tuberculosis, the cough is chronic, so the presence of more than three weeks of coughing should alert the person and become the primary reason for going to the doctor.

With acute respiratory infections, pneumonia or bronchitis, coughing can also be, however, unlike coughing with tuberculosis. The cough in these diseases does not last so long and has a very different character.

Tuberculosis is called a disease with many masks. The signs and symptoms of tuberculosis can indeed be very different and often pass themselves off as symptoms of other diseases.

First of all, the sign of tuberculosis is determined by the localization of the infectious process in the patient's body. It is clear that tuberculosis of the lungs and tuberculosis, for example, of the skin or pseudotuberculosis, proceed in different ways and do not have common causes and effects. In such cases, the symptoms of the disease generally depend on the activity and severity of the infectious process.

Cough with tuberculosis: the danger of hemoptysis

Hemoptysis is one of the main signs of the presence of tuberculosis. As a rule, this symptom is observed in infiltrative tuberculosis. In most cases, this symptom makes itself felt immediately with a coughing fit. In moments of coughing, in addition to sputum, fresh blood also comes out in small amounts. In such cases, the occurrence of pulmonary bleeding is quite possible - a very dangerous condition can even cause death. In the event of its development, an urgent need to call an ambulance. But it is important to know and distinguish between hemoptysis in this disease, in heart failure, or in such a dangerous disease as lung cancer.

Tuberculosis affects various parts of the respiratory system: intrathoracic lymph nodes, lung parenchyma, bronchi, pleura, larynx. Depending on the affected structures, the nature of the cough may vary:

Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes- dry cough of varying intensity;
Damage to the lung parenchyma– slight cough or quiet cough;
Tuberculosis of the bronchi- hacking ringing cough;
Pleura lesion- dry painful, scratching cough.
Tuberculosis of the larynx- dry cough, accompanied by hoarseness and pain when swallowing.

How does cough change depending on the stage of tuberculosis?

The initial stage of tuberculosis- (in children, the lymph nodes are most often affected) - dry periodic cough with a slight release of white foamy sputum;
Progressive stage- wet persistent cough with mucous or whitish sputum, sometimes streaked with blood;
Lung collapse- (caverns, that is, cavities in the lung are characteristic of this stage of the pathological process) - a deaf wet cough with the release of a large amount of yellow-green sputum due to the addition of a bacterial infection.

It is not uncommon for there to be no cough at all.

In children of the first three years of life with tuberculosis of the bronchopulmonary lymph nodes, an obsessive ringing cough appears, similar to that of whooping cough. The child begins to cough, while exhaling, but not inhaling air. Children of the first year of life turn blue. Such an attack is called a reprise. It is dangerous for young patients because hypoxia (lack of oxygen) adversely affects the development of the brain. Sometimes the cough ends in vomiting.

If a child has a cough that is not associated with acute respiratory infections, lasting more than a month, in combination with weakness, lack of appetite, night sweats, chills, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician. Mantoux reaction or Diaskin test will help confirm or refute the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

When does cough occur in children with mycobacterial infection?

Cough most often occurs in the morning. This is due to the fact that sputum accumulates during the night. When the child gets up, it flows into the lower parts of the lungs, irritating the bronchial cough receptors. Cough has no seasonality, that is, it is present in winter and summer. He worries the children for many months.

How to treat cough with tuberculosis in children?

Cough- it's just a symptom of a terrible disease. No sickness, no cough. At the present stage of development of medical technologies, tuberculosis is a curable pathology.

When coughing with tuberculosis accompanied by copious sputum, you can not take antitussive drugs. This is fraught
With a dry, painful cough in case of damage to the pleura or larynx, mucolytic agents are indicated - Ambroxol, Lazolvan, Mukaltin.

How to cure cough with tuberculosis?

Cough in tuberculosis, is the main symptom of the disease, occurs due to infectious mycobacteria. It is dry, with a slight sputum, maybe with hemoptysis. Features of cough depend on the location, age, general condition of the body.

If the cough does not go away for more than two weeks, you should contact a medical facility. The pediatrician will conduct a diagnostic examination, prescribe medication. Timely diagnosis will help to cure the patient.

Tuberculosis infection is an insidious and common disease, so it is important for every person to know what cough is for tuberculosis.

The first symptom is a morning cough, after the night sputum accumulates, from which a person seeks to get rid of as soon as he gets out of bed. With damage to the lungs, it can be prolonged.

As the disease progresses, the cough becomes loose, possibly with hemoptysis. Sputum may be green or yellow. The nature of the cough will help the specialist determine the diagnosis, but it is confirmed after a complete diagnostic examination of the patient.

For the period of treatment, the patient is placed in a tuberculosis dispensary, he is under the constant supervision of doctors, where he takes pills in combination with other drugs. It happens that chemotherapy after long-term treatment is not effective, the patient undergoes surgery.

The symptoms of tuberculosis of the larynx are different, the cough is hoarse, in children it is a little convulsive.

Children are more vulnerable, this is due to the age structure of the body, fluctuations in immunity. It is more difficult to identify the disease in children, it can be confused with the common cold. Too young children cannot complain, so everything depends on the attention of the parents.

You should pay attention to the following symptoms:

The nervous system is disturbed due to intoxication of organs.
The child is constantly crying for no reason.
Sleep is disturbed, excessive sweating at night, after sleep.
Disruptions in the digestive system cause loss of appetite.
Cough with tuberculosis has a protracted character.
Lymph nodes are enlarged.

The mother of a small child needs to consult a specialist with such symptoms, self-medication causes serious complications.

In older children, the symptoms are similar to bronchitis, only an experienced doctor will determine the correct diagnosis, he will prescribe adequate treatment. It is important not to miss the time to cure the disease. It is necessary to consult a doctor and do an X-ray examination.

There are common symptoms of the disease:

cough lasts more than two weeks;
pain in the chest;
sputum is secreted, maybe with blood;
the patient quickly loses weight;
high body temperature;
increased sweating;
loss of desire to eat;
there is a general weakness, lethargy of the whole organism;
there may be a complete loss of performance.

But there are cases when the disease passes without pronounced symptoms, tuberculosis can be detected on a planned fluorography. It is possible to cure an infectious disease only in the first stages.

The nature of the course of the disease

When a cough appears, this is a signal for concern, because for a long time the disease may not cause symptoms. The nature of tuberculous cough depends on the form of the disease. At first it is dry, appears in the morning, then becomes intense and systematic. The patient's state of health worsens, body temperature rises.

Without timely treatment, seizures will develop. In children, the disease progresses faster than in adults, so it is important to be especially careful.

Often, the patient develops sputum with an admixture of blood. This is a serious sign that requires immediate medical attention.

It is possible to cure tuberculosis, but if the disease is diagnosed in a timely manner, and after the examination, proper treatment is done. The nature of the cough after an x-ray will help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

Coughing with tuberculosis is a fairly common occurrence, and with timely access to a doctor, you can significantly reduce the risk of further development of the disease.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is one of the most dangerous infections of the respiratory organs, which until the end of the 9th century was considered incurable. Her causative agent - Koch's wand - was isolated in 1882 in one of the German clinics.

Therapist: Azaliya Solntseva ✓ Article checked by Dr.

Types of cough reflex

The nature of the cough during the disease is affected by the location of the focus of infection, and the stage in which the disease occurs.

The main route of transmission of the infection is airborne, so any coughing, and even loudly talking person is potentially dangerous to others.

However, not all forms of the disease are contagious; in order to infect others, the concentration of bacteria in the patient's body must be such that it is excreted with saliva and sputum when coughing.

Characteristic features of the cough reflex in various forms of tuberculosis:

Foma tuberculosis	Distinctive features	Risk of infection by coughing
Hidden (latent)	Minor changes in lung tissue are characteristic. The cough may be dry or produce a small amount of sputum.	Does not pose a threat to others.
infiltrative	There is a defeat of small vessels of the lung tissue, a significant amount of infiltrate accumulates. Coughing up mucus with bloody streaks.	Dangerous.
Cavernous	Large vessels of the broncho-pulmonary system are affected. Accompanied by wheezing, discharge of pus and blood.	Dangerous.
cirrhotic	There is a total destruction of the lung tissue. The cough is excruciatingly painful.	Dangerous.

With the initial form of pathology

After a bacterium enters the body, the disease does not appear immediately, sometimes the microbe does not make itself felt for years, and its owner becomes the owner of a latent form of the disease. With tuberculosis at an early stage, infection of others does not yet occur, but it is important to start treatment on time, since the disease can progress rapidly with a weakened immune system.

It is possible to cure the pathology at this stage completely and without consequences, therefore, an annual x-ray examination, which helps to identify organ diseases, is mandatory for everyone.

Cough with tuberculosis at this stage has a peculiar character - a person coughs all the time, as if he has a tickle in his throat. As a rule, it is dry, but with the development of the disease, sputum begins to form and cough up.

Usually, the attacks intensify at night and in the morning, which is explained by the large amount of mucus accumulated during sleep. According to this feature, it is already possible to suspect something was wrong, and contact a phthisiatrician for further diagnosis.

How it manifests itself in children

In children, it is not a systemic lesion of the lung tissue that most often manifests itself, but tuberculous bronchoadenitis.

The lung tissue in this form of the disease changes minimally, but inflammation of the thoracic lymph nodes occurs at the root of the lung, causing:

unproductive obsessive cough;
wheezing in the chest due to the pressure of the lymph nodes on the bronchi;
the absence of a high temperature indicating another infectious disease.

Particular attention should be paid to the duration of the child's cough. If it is present for more than three weeks, then this may indicate the development of pathology.

Additional Features

Coughing and sputum are not the only signs of the disease.

In the tuberculous process, there are a number of symptoms, paying attention to which pathology can be suspected:

Constantly present subfebrile temperature, kept within 37 degrees. At first, it rises only in the evenings by 1-2 degrees, but with the development of the disease, such thermometer readings become constant.
A bright blush on the cheeks, unnaturally shining eyes.
Rapid weight loss regardless of appetite.
Excessive sweating during sleep.
Pain in the chest, which occurs both in front and from the back. When inhaling, stabbing pain in the lungs is possible.
Fatigue and weakness with minimal physical exertion.
Shortness of breath, heavy breathing.

By these signs alone, it is impossible to diagnose pathology; with pulmonary tuberculosis, the symptoms are often similar to other diseases. The correct diagnosis is based on a laboratory study of outgoing sputum to determine the degree of concentration of bacteria. The analysis is carried out by the method of polymer chain reaction.

After illness

Normally, after treatment, cough should not bother the patient. But if it is present, a natural question arises whether this is a sign of an undertreated pathology.

The fact is that the therapy of this disease must be carefully selected and considered in order not only to stop the reproduction of bacteria, but also to completely destroy them. As a rule, tuberculosis treatment lasts at least 6 months.

But often there are such drug-resistant forms of the disease that do not respond well to traditional therapy, and require individually selected drug regimens. The prognosis of this form of the disease can be completely unpredictable, therefore, to eliminate all doubts, the analysis for tuberculosis is repeated.

With sputum

Normally, sputum (tracheobronchial secretion) performs a bactericidal and protective function in the human body. When bacteria are infected, cells of the immune system try to kill the infection, which affects the quantity and quality of the secretion. That is why laboratory sputum analysis is one of the main methods for diagnosing tuberculosis.

At different stages of the disease and with its various forms, sputum looks different:

glassy, white coughs up at the initial stage of the disease, more than 1 liter of sputum per day can be excreted;
greenish purulent sputum indicates tuberculous pleurisy, focal or infiltrative form of the disease;
mucopurulent profuse sputum is a consequence of cirrhotic tuberculosis.

The streaks of blood present in the sputum indicate the beginning of a destructive process in the lungs caused by the pathogenic action of bacteria. At this stage, the sputum is viscous, thick, with a high content of dead leukocytes.

The appearance of dry cough

In the early stages, the disease may not manifest itself with special symptoms, or “masquerade” as various diseases of the respiratory system (bronchitis, pneumonia). The cough reflex is rare at first, it is dry and obsessive.

In the future, attacks occur more often due to impaired ventilation and gas exchange of the lungs due to mucus accumulated in the bronchi. Attacks are aggravated if a person is in a smoky or dusty room, during physical exertion, when breathing quickens.

With bleeding

Hemoptysis is a sign of infiltrative tuberculosis, when the infection affects the small vessels of the circulatory system in the lungs. There may be both small blood streaks, and abundant scarlet blood, excreted with sputum.

The defeat of the infection of large vessels of the respiratory system can lead to pulmonary bleeding - an extremely dangerous condition, and requiring immediate medical attention.

On the other hand, with tuberculosis, the walls of the vessels become thinner, and a slight effort or cough is enough for the vessel to burst. As a result, blood fills the trachea and bronchi to such an extent that a person cannot breathe normally. Such bleeding threatens with death from suffocation, so the patient should be given timely assistance.

Bitonal view

In some cases, attacks of the cough reflex in tuberculosis have the character of convulsions, there are metallic notes in the sound. This is usually observed in children with tuberculous bronchoadenitis.

In medicine, such a cough is called bitonal. This sound occurs due to a violation of gas exchange in the lungs due to the increased pressure on them from enlarged lymph nodes. At first, a low sound of the timbre is heard, which gradually turns into a whistle. The cough itself is deep, hysterical, which causes severe pain in the sternum.

Self-medication for any kind of cough reflex is unacceptable. It may not just be a cold, but a more serious infection. Therefore, the first thing that is recommended to be done is to consult a doctor so as not to miss the time and start treatment in a timely manner.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that affects the human respiratory system. Cough in tuberculosis is one of the first and main symptoms. The reason for its appearance is acid-resistant microorganisms. This disease can manifest itself in different ways, there may be several pathogens, and the outcome is unpredictable. With tuberculosis, cough has an atypical manifestation.

The first thing to know is that a cough with lung disease manifests itself periodically. If tuberculosis is in the form of a focus, then the cough may not manifest itself. If tuberculosis is miliary type, then the cough will be pronounced. What is the cough for tuberculosis? Many patients note that it is very dry, but with a small amount of sputum.

If the cough begins in the early hours of the day, when a person just gets out of bed and assumes an upright position, this is a sure sign of tuberculosis. The reason for this lies in the fact that at night, when a person sleeps, the sensitivity of the mucosa becomes less and sputum accumulates during the night, which comes out in the morning. When coughing with pulmonary tuberculosis, one must remember that it can not stop for many hours until the lungs are at least a little cleared.

Cough with pulmonary tuberculosis helps in carrying out diagnostic procedures. Depending on the nature of the cough, conclusions are drawn about the processes that occur in the human respiratory organs.

With tuberculosis in children, which has a tumor-like form, the cough is a little convulsive and gives off a soft metallic echo. The root cause of this phenomenon lies in the speed of air entering the respiratory system. It varies depending on the size of the lymph nodes of the bronchi.

Tuberculosis of the larynx is characterized by poor closure of the glottis. In this situation, the cough symptoms are slightly different from the above. It has no sound and is hoarse. There is a feeling that the throat is filled with fluff.

Therefore, each person needs to seek help from a doctor as soon as he notices that he has a prolonged cough for no apparent reason. The specialist will prescribe the passage of fluorography and X-ray examination of the lungs.

Tuberculosis can have various symptoms. They mainly depend on the type of disease, location, type of pathogen and form, as well as on the strength of the person's immunity. The following main features can be distinguished:

severe cough that does not stop for 2 weeks;
with tuberculosis, the chest hurts;
cough may be accompanied by sputum with blood;
sudden weight loss;
body temperature rises sharply;
excessive sweating at night;
loss of appetite;
weakness of the whole organism;
painful subcutaneous nodules in the lower leg area.

If the lesion is small, tuberculosis can occur without coughing and fever.

At the initial stage of the development of the disease, the cough is dry and persistent. Often in the early morning and at night there is an exacerbation. With the development of the disease, the symptom becomes chronic. Some confuse it with a cough that occurs with acute viral diseases or bronchitis. However, the cough is not very long and has a completely different character.

Hemoptysis is a very alarming sign of tuberculosis of the lungs. This symptom manifests itself with the development of an infiltrative form of the disease. Coughing with bloody sputum is a very dangerous phenomenon, because there is a risk that bleeding in the lungs may open. This can lead to death.

But hemoptysis can also occur with other diseases. For example, heart failure or lung cancer. In any case, if blood appears during a cough, an ambulance should be called.

The first signs and onset of the disease

Tuberculosis can develop at an early stage in different ways. Acute or gradual, slow and almost asymptomatic. And the whole disease can occur with periods of exacerbation of the inflammatory process or its slow subsidence.

Most people noted that their disease developed gradually, the symptoms were almost invisible. Their illness was not always accompanied by a cough. But doctors note that in the past few years, the number of patients in whom pulmonary tuberculosis begins immediately with an acute form has increased. And the disease in such patients develops in a destructive form.

In addition, the disseminated course of the disease has become increasingly common. It is expressed in the diagnosis of acute miliary pulmonary tuberculosis. In severe cases, the disease can be complicated by meningitis.

The process of diagnosing tuberculosis includes the following steps:

study of the history of the disease and complaints of the patient;
examination of the patient using various methods (examination, palpation);
examination with medical equipment.

Tuberculosis treatment

The main focus of therapy is the healing of foci of inflammation and the reduction of symptoms.

The neglected form is difficult to treat. Therefore, it is very important to undergo fluorography once a year: it will help to identify the violations that have arisen in the absence of other symptoms.

The duration of therapy is different, but usually not less than one year. It combines the methods of physiotherapy and drug treatment.

The first stage of treatment is carried out in a tuberculosis dispensary. The goal is to stop the isolation of pathogenic bacteria. Followed by outpatient treatment.

After a course of therapy, a person who has had pulmonary tuberculosis must definitely visit special medical sanatoriums.

Surgical methods of treatment are prescribed in the presence of serious complications and when conservative therapy has not given the expected results.

Timely passage of preventive examinations will help to identify the disease at an early stage and start treatment on time.