Tuberculosis is commonly known as a lung disease, but it can affect any part of the body. The bacteria are breathed in through the lungs but can travel in the blood to other organs. This can make it difficult to diagnose as the person may not have the cough so commonly associated with TB, or produce sputum which can be tested for the bacteria.
This page gives details of the most common types of Tuberculosis. It is not meant as a self-diagnosis tool, and a person with any of the symptoms mentioned should consult their doctor in the first instance. All forms of TB are curable without lasting health implications if they are diagnosed and treated early enough. The complications mentioned are rare, and especially unlikely if early diagnosis is made and treatment commenced (and completed).
For explanation of any of the terms in this table you may not understand, click on on any words in italics to see a definition in our TB dictionary. If there are any words you dont understand which are not in our TB dictionary please email us.
Type of Disease |
Symptoms/signs |
Diagnosis |
Complications |
TB in general |
Fever (up to 80% patients), loss of appetite, weight loss, night sweats, lassitude
|
Tuberculin skin test (but may be negative early, in disseminated disease or if immunocompromised)
Chest x-ray
Microscopy, culture or histology of relevant tissue/body fluid
|
|
Primary infection |
Usually symptomless or mild illness resolving spontaneously
Erythema nodosum
|
Tuberculin skin test
Chest x-ray
|
Pressure on bronchi causing cough, wheeze, lung collapse
Caseation/rupture of parabronchial or paratracheal nodes
|
Pulmonary (lung) |
Cough, sputum (usually purulent, sometimes blood-streaked)
Aching or pleuritic chest pain
|
Chest x-ray (abnormal in nearly all cases)
Sputum microscopy/culture
Pleural biopsy
|
Pleural effusion
Haemorrhage from the lungs
TB empyema or discharging sinus
|
Lymph nodes, e.g. neck, groin, mediastinum |
Usually painless, slowly enlarging nodes, often bilateral
Mediastinum: cough
|
Microscopy/culture of aspirated pus or biopsy material
|
Abscess, rupture with resulting discharging sinus
Mediastinal nodes may erode trachea, bronchi or major blood vessels.
|
Orthopaedic (bone/joint), most commonly spine (Pott’s disease), also knee, ankle, hip, any other bone or multiple sites |
Back pain, local tenderness, rarely nerve root pain, kyphosis with or without paraparesis or paraplegia
Pain in relevant bone/joint
|
X-ray
Biopsy
|
Psoas abscess
Abscess of long bones extending into joints
Permanent damage to joints
|
Abdominal |
Intestinal tract: diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rapid weight loss
Peritoneal: chronic recurrent abdominal pain, bowel irregularity, abdominal swelling
|
X-ray
Biopsy
Peritoneal aspiration/biopsy
|
Bowel obstruction |
Pericarditis (Heart) (‘dry’ or with pericardial effusion) |
Chest pain, shortness of breath, pericardial rub
|
X-ray, pericardial aspiration/biopsy
|
Heart failure |
Genito-urinary (kidney, ureter, bladder) |
Kidney may be symptomless for years; loin pain, back ache
Frequency, dysuria, haematuria (usually microscopic though may be frank)
Ureteric colic
Haematuria/pyuria with sterile urine on routine culture
|
X-ray
Microscopy/culture of early morning urine
Cystoscopy and biopsy
|
Cold abscess
Chronic renal insufficiency
Hydronephrosis due to ureteric obstruction
Ulceration/fibrosis and/or shrinkage of bladder
|
TB meningitis Tuberculoma |
Headache, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, irritability, behavioural change, epilepsy, altered consciousness
|
X-ray
Microscopy/culture of CSF
|
Permanent neurological deficit
|
Disseminated (miliary) |
Dry cough, breathlessness
Choroidal tubercles
|
Chest x-ray (but may be normal)
Microscopy/culture of sputum, urine, blood, pleural fluid etc
Microscopy/culture/histology of biopsy material, e.g. liver, lymph node, bone marrow, bronchoscopic lung biopsy
|
Pleural effusion(s)
Organ failure
|
Skin (lupus vulgaris).
Read the story of M - a boy in Malawi |
Ulcerating granulomas of the skin, usually face
|
Microscopy/culture of discharge or biopsy material
|
|
Larynx |
Hoarseness of voice
Pain
Dysphagia
|
Sputum microscopy
Laryngoscopy/biopsy
|
Usually associated with advanced pulmonary TB
|
