Focal tuberculosis: symptoms, treatment

Tuberculosis is a serious and life-threatening infectious disease, mostly affecting the lungs. It should be noted that patients with pulmonary tuberculosis are the main source of infection.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common form among tuberculosis diseases. When the pathogens of tuberculosis penetrate into the body that has not previously experienced this infection, primary tuberculosis forms. Focal tuberculosis is a secondary manifestation of the disease, usually occurring with previously cured primary foci of tuberculosis or with repeated infection. Since in the secondary tuberculosis the organism is already familiar with the infection, the disease proceeds very differently and differs significantly from the usual pulmonary tuberculosis.
Focal tuberculosis is considered the most common form of lung damage( about 50% of cases of tuberculosis among adults).Knowing the symptoms, treatment and a little about diagnosing tuberculosis, you can save your health. Unfortunately, often patients do not pay attention to a number of symptoms of the manifested disease simply because they do not know about its seriousness.

instagram viewer

In focal tuberculosis, there are two forms: chronic fibro-focal and fresh soft-focus. These forms have a different pathogenesis, the only common feature is that a limited area is affected. In the tissues there are single foci whose diameter in most cases does not exceed 1 cm. Most often, these foci are located in the upper region of the lung. For the most part, focal tuberculosis is one-sided, but rare bilateral cases can occur. The soft-focal form is usually characterized by mild or almost imperceptible symptoms, and there are no extraneous sounds in the chest( until decay begins).Fibrous-focal form in most cases proceeds favorably. And with her more pronounced signs of tuberculosis poisoning of the body: subfibralnaya temperature, weight loss. It differs in that, with this form of the disease, the top of the lungs becomes wrinkled, so the supraclavicular and subclavian fossae are very noticeable. Breathing is tough and rales can be heard wet. In most cases, the fibrous-focal form of the disease manifests itself due to densification or incomplete resolution of the soft-focal form.
Tuberculosis provokes acid-fast bacteria from the genus Mycobacterium( Mycobacterium).At the moment, science knows about the existence of 74 species of these bacteria. They can be found anywhere: in water, soil, among animals and humans, but far from all their species cause tuberculosis. There are only a few varieties of mycobacteria - pathogens of tuberculosis.
So, focal tuberculosis, symptoms, treatment and diagnostic methods.

Diagnosis

Patients may have some soreness in the area of ​​the muscles of the shoulder girdle, on the side where the disease spreads. Tuberculin samples are most often moderately expressed. In the initial phases, usually when the patient coughs, one can hear small, single wet rales and hard breathing.
The study of blood for focal tuberculosis gives the following results:

  • Infiltration phase - there is a slight lymphopenia, and the left shift of the ESR formula can reach 12 or 15 percent of the rod-shaped forms.
  • Small, fresh form - blood counts are mostly normal.

When the disease is in productive form( chronic course of the disease), foci with a size of 3-6 mm are identified, having irregular or round shape and a sharp or medium intensity.
An X-ray can show foci reaching a size of 1 cm in diameter.
Focal tuberculosis in some patients may not show almost no symptoms for a long time. But in most cases, focal tuberculosis is accompanied by a decrease in appetite and disability, sweating, and weakness. Also, there may be a short-term chill, heat in the palms or cheeks and a small subfebrile temperature during the day. In some cases, even in the initial stages, dry and unstable cough with side pain may occur.
Timely diagnosis of tuberculosis in some cases is difficult, because in the early stages of the disease the symptoms can be very similar to the symptoms of other diseases, most often similar to ARVI or acute pneumonia.

Treatment of focal tuberculosis

Modern medicine allows completely cure lymphangitis and fresh foci of tuberculosis in about a year. In rare cases, after treatment, the foci are encapsulated instead of dissolving, and coarse fibrosis is formed in place of lymphangitis. Disease in the chronic form is treated a little more complicated, and the foci, compacting, form conglomerates, as a result of which the fusion of the membranes of the lungs and cicatricial changes often occur. It is also possible the formation of caverns( cavities in the lungs).The appearance of caverns is cavernous tuberculosis, with massive destruction of some areas in the lungs.

Prevention of focal tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a social disease, that is, its occurrence is directly related to the conditions under which the population lives. Lowering the living standards of the population and worsening economic and social conditions are the main reasons for the frequent occurrence of outbreaks of tuberculosis in our country. In addition, an increase in the number of homeless and unemployed, as well as migration processes, also greatly worsen the overall epidemiological situation of tuberculosis.
Men get focal tuberculosis three times more often than women, in addition, the disease in men and develops faster than women in about 2. 5 times. Most often people are sick at the age of 30-39 and 20-29 years. In places of deprivation of liberty, the incidence of tuberculosis exceeds the national average by 42 times.
Primary vaccination of newborns( up to 30 days of life) is extremely important. Always when there are suspicions of tuberculosis in yourself or others need to see a doctor.