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Objectives
- Disseminate info on TB in India
- Improve care of TB patients in India
- Enable doctors and NGO's interested in TB control
to interact
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Diagnosis of Tuberculosis
Clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis
Most of the pulmonary tuberculosis cases are diagnosed as the result of the patient feeling unwell and so coming for help to a health institution. A study of national tuberculosis institute India has shown that 95% of the patients were aware of symptoms, and 52% took action.
The general symptoms may be
- Loss of weight
- Fever and sweating
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
But more important are the respiratory symptoms
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Haemoptysis
- Dyspnoea
All the symptoms could be due to other respiratory diseases. The clinical examination may reveal abnormalities like localized wheeze,crepitations,bronchial breathing etc.These are given a lot of importance in clinical teaching but in actual practice most of the cases have scanty findings or have findings only when disease is far advanced. Actually reliance has to be placed on microscopy of sputum and X-ray of chest