Ganglion tuberculosis is characterized by the presence of the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, popularly known as Koch’s bacillus, which affects the nodes of the body, chest, armpits and lower body, and less frequently in the abdomen area.
This type of TB is most common in HIV-positive patients and women age 20 to 40, unlike pulmonary tuberculosis, which is more common in the elderly.
- With pleural tuberculosis.
- It is the most common type of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and is cured when treated with antibiotics received by the pneumonologist.
Tuberculosis in the lymph nodes produces general symptoms such as low fat and weight loss, they can be used as a person to seek immediate medical help. Other symptoms include:
In the presence of these symptoms, it is important to consult with a pneumonologist or family doctor so that the diagnosis can be made so that treatment can be started as soon as possible.
Diagnosing TB can be difficult because the disease produces widespread symptoms, which causes the disease to become confused with a simple flu, for example.
After your symptoms are assessed, your doctor may order a chest x-ray and microbiological examination to see if any bacteria are present. In addition, you can also request an inflamed node biopsy, send a sample to the lab for further analysis, as well as a complete hematology and PCR.
The average time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis ranged from 1 to 2 months, but could reach up to 9 months.
In extrapulmonary tuberculosis, Koch’s bacillus usually enters the body through the airways, but does not lodge in the lungs, does not lodge in other parts of the body, and can lead to different types of tuberculosis, although the main ones are:
Bacteria can remain in the inactive organism as long as any situation such as stress, for example, causes the degradation of the immune system, favoring its proliferation and, therefore, the manifestation of the disease.
The best way to avoid infection with lymph node TB is to avoid environments where other people may have the disease, especially if they are within the last 15 days of starting treatment.
Treatment of lymph node TB is performed under the direction of the pneumonologist, the infectious diseases of the family doctor and usually the use of antibiotics is usually indicated for at least 6 months and, in some cases, surgery is required to remove the inflamed node.
Antibiotics normally indicated in rifampicin, isoniazide, pirazinamide and etambutol and treatment should be done under the direction of the doctor, although it may be discontinued, as it can cause bacterial resistances, which could complicate the person’s condition, such as antibiotics before it works to affect bacteria.