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Tuberculosis (to exclude)

General health information, not a diagnosis. In an emergency, call 102. Always consult a qualified health professional.

SmartAnalysis by DigiNepal SI

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs. But it can also attack other parts of the body, including the kidneys, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria (germs) becomes sick. generated by SI from cited sources · general information, not a diagnosis · consult a health professional

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · https://medlineplus.gov/tuberculosis.html; https://www.cdc.gov/tb/; https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis; https://www.mayoclinic.org/search/search-results?q=Tuberculosis; Guideline: WHO consolidated TB guidelines 2024 (symptom screen); https://edcd.gov.np

What it is

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs. But it can also attack other parts of the body, including the kidneys, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria (germs) becomes sick.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Symptoms

Cough for 2 weeks or more, fever, night sweats, weight loss, tiredness, sometimes coughing blood.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Causes

Mycobacterium tuberculosis spread through the air when a person with lung TB coughs. Risk is higher with HIV, diabetes, malnutrition, smoking and crowded living.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

When to seek care

EMERGENCY, go now: coughing large amounts of blood, severe breathlessness. See a clinician for any cough lasting 2 weeks or more.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Diagnosis

Sputum GeneXpert MTB/RIF (also detects rifampicin resistance), sputum microscopy, chest X-ray.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Care & treatment

Free treatment of at least 6 months with combination medicines under the national TB programme (DOTS). Never stop early. No dosing information is given here.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Prevention

Early diagnosis and full treatment of cases, BCG vaccine for infants, ventilation, preventive therapy for contacts on advice.

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Nepal notes

A major public health problem in Nepal; diagnosis and treatment are free through the National Tuberculosis Control Centre (NTCC).

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

Clinical guideline

WHO consolidated TB guidelines 2024 (symptom screen)

Sources: SI, NLM MedlinePlus, CDC, WHO (paraphrased) · Reference · MedlinePlus (US NLM) · US CDC · World Health Organization (WHO) · Mayo Clinic · EDCD — Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (Nepal)

⚠️ Red-flag signs — seek urgent care

📞 Call 102

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Text: SI summary in its own words (CC BY 4.0) with NLM MedlinePlus public-domain summary; facts checked against WHO fact sheets (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, paraphrased with attribution) and Mayo Clinic (linked reference only, no text used); ICD-10 and labels from Wikidata (CC0).

Emergency — call📞 102