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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffWithout treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. Untreated active disease typically affects your lungs, but it can spread to other parts of the body through your bloodstream. Examples include:
- Bones. Spinal pain and joint destruction may result from TB that infects your bones. In many cases, the ribs are affected.
- Brain. Tuberculosis in your brain can cause meningitis, a sometimes fatal swelling of the membranes that cover your brain and spinal cord.
- Liver or kidneys. Your liver and kidneys help filter waste and impurities from your bloodstream. These functions become impaired if the liver or kidneys are affected by tuberculosis.
- Heart. Tuberculosis can infect the tissues that surround your heart, causing inflammation and fluid collections that may interfere with your heart's ability to pump effectively. This condition, called cardiac tamponade, can be fatal.
References
- Questions and answers about tuberculosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/faqs/pdfs/qa.pdf. Accessed Nov. 18, 2010.
- Iseman MC. Tuberculosis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/225812607-4/1080378836/1492/1198.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50350-5_14828. Accessed Nov. 18, 2010.
- Fort GG, et al. Tuberculosis, pulmonary. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00029-9--sc0195&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&sid=1085763505&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00029-9--sc0195&uniqId=227265748-6#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00029-9--sc0195. Accessed Nov. 18, 2010.
- Horsburgh CR. Epidemiology of tuberculosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 18, 2010.
- Pasipanodya J, et al. Tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6642-2..00004-1--sc0110&isbn=978-1-4160-6642-2&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6642-2..00004-1--s1380&uniqId=230355386-4. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- Fort GG, et al. Tuberculosis, miliary. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00029-9--sc0190&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&sid=1085763505&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00029-9--sc0190&uniqId=227265748-6#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00029-9--sc0190. Accessed Nov. 18, 2010.
- Bernardo J. Diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-seronegative patients. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 24, 2010.
- Staying on track with TB medicine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/pamphlets/TB_trtmnt.pdf. Accessed Nov. 24, 2010.
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