Tuberculosis: Learn the Signs and Symptoms of TB Disease

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air. A TB skin test or a blood test will tell you if you have ever had TB bacteria in your body. If you have TB bacteria, other tests will help show if you have TB disease or TB infection.

TB is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air. TB disease usually occurs in the lungs, but it can also occur in other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine.

Symptoms of TB disease depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing. TB disease in the lungs may cause symptoms such as

• A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
• Pain in the chest
• Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)

Other symptoms of active TB disease are:

• Weakness or fatigue
• Weight loss
• No appetite
• Chills
• Fever
• Sweating at night

You should get tested for TB if:

• You have spent time with a person known to have TB disease or suspected to have TB disease; or
• You have HIV infection or another condition that puts you at high risk for developing TB disease; or
• You think you might have TB disease; or
• You are from a country where TB disease is common (most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia); or
• You live in a place where TB disease is more common such as a homeless shelter, migrant farm camp, prison or jail, and some nursing homes); or
• You inject illegal drugs

If you think you may have been exposed to a person with TB disease, contact your health care provider or your state or local TB control office.

More Information

• TB Website
• Basic TB Facts
• Testing & Diagnosis
• Treatment
• State TB Control Offices