Pleural tuberculosis is an infection of the pleura, which is the thin film that covers the lungs, caused by the tubercle bacillus. Kochcausing symptoms such as chest pain, cough, shortness of breath and fever.
This is one of the most common types of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, that is, it manifests itself outside the lungs, such as the bone, throat, ganglia or kidneys, being a more common situation in people with weakened immunity, such as people with AIDS, cancer or using corticosteroids, for example. Find out more about what extra-pulmonary tuberculosis is and how to identify it.
To treat pleural tuberculosis, the pulmonologist or infectious disease specialist usually recommends a treatment regimen of at least 6 months, with 4 antibiotic medications, which are Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol.
Main symptoms
The symptoms of pleural tuberculosis are:
- Dry cough;
- Chest pain, which appears during breathing;
- Fever;
- Increased night sweating;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Weight loss without apparent cause;
- Bad being;
- Loss of appetite.
Typically, the first symptom presented is coughing, which is accompanied by slight chest pain. After a few hours, other symptoms begin to set in and worsen, until the person has difficulty breathing and feels short of breath.
Whenever a lung problem is suspected, it is very important to go to the hospital or consult a pulmonologist to start treatment as soon as possible and avoid possible complications.
How to confirm the diagnosis
To diagnose pleural tuberculosis, in addition to evaluating the person’s symptoms and history, the doctor may also order tests, such as:
- Analysis of pleural fluid, to detect enzymes present in the infection, such as lysozyme and ADA;
- Chest X-ray;
- Sputum test for tuberculosis bacillus (AFB);
- Mantoux test, also known as tuberculin skin test or PPD;
- Bronchoscopy.
The chest X-ray may show lesions in the pleura, such as thickening or calcification, or a pleural effusion, also known as water in the lung, which generally affects only 1 of the lungs. Understand better what it is and the other possible causes of pleural effusion.
Make an appointment with your nearest pulmonologist using the following tool to investigate the possibility of pleural tuberculosis:
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How the infection happens
Pleural tuberculosis is not contagious, as the tubercle bacillus Koch It is not present in lung secretions and is not easily transmitted through sneezing or coughing. Therefore, anyone who acquires this type of tuberculosis needs to be infected by people with pulmonary tuberculosis, who, when coughing, spread large quantities of bacteria into the environment.
The microorganisms then reach the pleura after spreading through the bloodstream or directly from lesions formed in the lung. Some people may also develop pleural tuberculosis as a complication of pulmonary tuberculosis, for example.
Read too: Transmission of tuberculosis: how to catch it and how to avoid it
How the treatment is carried out
Pleural tuberculosis can be cured spontaneously in some cases, even without treatment, however, treatment is usually carried out with a combination of 4 antibiotics called Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol.
The fever may disappear in two weeks, but may persist for six or eight weeks, and the pleural effusion disappears in around six weeks, but may persist for three to four months.
In general, the patient shows significant improvement in the first 15 days of treatment, but it is important to take the medications prescribed by the doctor even in the absence of symptoms, as the bacillus takes a long time to be completely removed from the body. Find out more details about the ways to treat tuberculosis.
Tuberculose pleural tem cura?
Pleural tuberculosis has a 100% chance of being cured. However, if the treatment is not carried out properly, there may be complications such as the development of tuberculosis in other areas of the body.
