Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious illness that mainly affects the lungs. It’s transmitted through the air when a person with active TB disease coughs, speaks, or sings.
One of the most common symptoms of active TB is a cough that won’t go away.
If you’ve had a cough that’s lasted longer than three weeks, visit your health care provider or local public health nursing office and ask to get tested for tuberculosis.
While anyone can get TB, not everyone infected with TB germs becomes sick.
As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: inactive (or latent) TB infection and active TB disease.
What’s the difference between inactive TB and active TB?
People with inactive (latent) TB infection don’t have symptoms and can’t spread the disease to others. Without treatment, people with a latent TB infection can develop active TB disease.
People with active TB disease—which occurs when a person’s immune system can’t stop TB germs from growing and multiplying in their body—often feel sick. They may also be able to spread the germs to others.
Without treatment, active TB disease can be fatal.
What are the signs and symptoms of TB?
In addition to a cough that lasts three weeks or longer, common symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
- Weakness or fatigue
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Chills
- Fever
Who is at higher risk for TB?
Anyone can get TB, but you might have a higher risk if you:
- Were born in or frequently travel to countries where TB is common, including some countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
- Live or used to live in large group settings where TB is more common, such as homeless shelters, prisons, or jails
- Recently spent time with someone who has active TB disease
- Have a weaker immune system because of certain medications or health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and HIV
- Work in places where TB is more likely to spread, such as hospitals, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and nursing homes
How do you get tested and/or treated for TB?
Visit your health care provider, a local public health nursing office, or a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) near you, and ask to get tested for tuberculosis.
For both inactive TB infection and active TB disease, your health care provider will discuss which treatment plan is best for you. Typically, this includes a specific regimen of TB medicines to take, how long to take them, and how to monitor yourself for any side effects of the medicine.
See more tuberculosis resources.