Thursday, February, 09, 2012

Disseminated tuberculosis

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Miliary tuberculosis; Tuberculosis - disseminated; Extrapulmonary tuberculosis


Symptoms

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.


Signs and tests

A physical exam may show:

  • Swollen liver
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Swollen spleen

Tests for TB include:

  • Biopsies and cultures of affected organs or tissues
  • Bronchoscopy for biopsy or culture
  • Chest x-ray
  • CT scan of the affected area
  • Fundoscopy may reveal retinal lesions
  • Lung biopsy
  • Mycobacterial culture of bone marrow or blood
  • Pleural biopsy
  • Sputum cultures
  • Tuberculin skin test

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Peripheral blood smear
  • Blood calcium level

Review Date: 12/07/2010
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.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)