Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis

Tuberculosis affects not only the lungs, but also many other internal organs. So-called extrapulmonary tuberculosis can affect the bones, eyes, skin, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary system. Often, extrapulmonary tuberculosis is diagnosed in the case of long-term and unsuccessful treatment of various organs, but the diagnosis can only be made by a phthisiatrician (thanks to tests that detect mycobacteria).

Most often, extrapulmonary tuberculosis is detected late; the disease can develop up to several years and be mistaken for anything other than tuberculosis. This is why extrapulmonary tuberculosis is often accompanied by complications. However, extrapulmonary tuberculosis is treated and treated successfully. True, treatment of extrapulmonary tuberculosis must be long-term, continuous, using several medications, and must be under the supervision of a doctor.

The basis of treatment for such patients is modern anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, surgical and pathogenetic treatment. Depending on the location, extrapulmonary tuberculosis can be osteoarticular (47% of all patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis suffer from it), genitourinary organs (37% of patients), eyes (5.5%), meninges (meningitis - 4%), lymph nodes ( 2.5%), peritoneum (1.5%), skin (a rare type of tuberculosis, but it does happen).

Inflammation always occurs in the same way: focus (granuloma), melting (caseosis), formation of a decay cavity (cavern), and the appearance of fibrosis during sanitation (sclerosation). The initial stage of extrapulmonary tuberculosis is similar to intoxication of the body. As the process spreads, its symptoms depend on the disorders inherent in the affected organ.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis develops in several stages:

1. A primary focus of inflammation occurs within the smallest anatomical unit.
2. The disease process includes all surrounding tissues and organs associated with the affected organ.
3. Complete destruction of an organ, system and surrounding tissues by tuberculosis with the occurrence of complications.

Another type of tuberculosis, which belongs to extrapulmonary tuberculosis, is congenital tuberculosis. It develops during transplacental infection and when the fetus ingests amniotic fluid contaminated with M. tuberculosis. This affects the liver, spleen, lymph nodes and other organs.