Are cough and mild chest pain a sign of tuberculosis?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 45-year-old male, and I have been hearing too many tuberculosis cases in my area of residence, which is making me worried. I have developed a cough for the last two days. Could this be TB (tuberculosis)? I also have mild chest pain due to a prolonged cough and some amount of weight loss, but that can also be due to changes in my diet and workout. I am not sure if these symptoms are related to TB or something else. Can you guide me on all the tests I should get done to rule out tuberculosis? I am genuinely concerned about my health, given the current situation. Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read the query, and I can understand your concern.

A patient with suspected TB (tuberculosis) is tested if they have a persistent cough for three weeks with sputum, weight loss, shortness of breath, or contact with an active TB patient or TB suspect. The patient may also have intermittent fever. A cough of two days is usually not an indication for TB testing. Having said this, as you stay in the area witnessing more TB cases, a few things that you can do is to get a Chest X-ray and AFB (Acid-Fast Bacillus) staining of sputum for TB evaluation. Please use a mask always when venturing out or talking to someone with TB or suspected TB. I hope you had the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccination in childhood.

I hope this will help you.

Thank you.