Stages of tuberculosis

Stages of tuberculosis

Stage 1: Exposure and latent infection. After inhaling TB bacteria, most people's immune systems contain them. This is latent TB: no symptoms, no spread to others, chest X-ray normal, only a blood or skin test shows it. It can persist silently for years - roughly 5-10% of latent infections turn active over a lifetime, half of those in the first two years. Preventive treatment exists for high-risk people (close contacts, HIV patients, those starting immunosuppression).

Stage 2: Early active disease. The bacteria overcome the defences, usually in the lungs. Symptoms creep in: a cough that does not settle beyond two weeks, low evening fevers, night sweats, falling appetite and weight, tiredness. Many people dismiss this stage as "a stubborn cold" - losing months while remaining infectious to family. A cough over two weeks should always be tested.

Stage 3: Established pulmonary TB. Without treatment: persistent cough with sputum, possible blood in sputum, chest pain, breathlessness, worsening weight loss and fever. The patient is most infectious now. Diagnosis is straightforward - sputum tests (smear, cartridge-based molecular tests like CBNAAT) plus chest imaging.

Stage 4: Advanced and disseminated disease. Untreated TB can destroy lung tissue and spread to lymph nodes, spine, brain (TB meningitis), abdomen and other organs - life-threatening and harder to treat. This stage is entirely preventable through early testing.

Stage 5: Cure or chronic disease. With the full 6-month course, TB is cured. With interrupted treatment, it becomes chronic and potentially drug-resistant - a far harder battle.

Remember: latent is silent, early active looks like a stubborn cough - the two-week cough rule catches TB while it is easiest to cure.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive)

Kshaya rog's classical progression parallels these stages - descriptive only. Staging and treatment belong to the NTEP programme.