Tuberculosis: 6. Extrapulmonary disease.
Year: 1999
Type: article
Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) is a systemic infection caused by Mycobacterium tubercu-losis. It is transmitted by coughed aerosol and usually presents with respi-ratory symptoms. However, it can produce disease in any organ system. Dissemination from the site of initial infection in the lung can take place at the time of primary infection or years later, when immunologic containment fails. The practitioner should be aware that TB occurs in sites other than the lungs and that these sites account for an increasing proportion of cases of TB in North America.1-4 People born in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania or in aborigi-nal communities of Canada have a high likelihood of infection and a 10 % risk of active disease. Immunosuppression due to age, disease or debility, but most par-ticularly due to HIV infection, increases the risk of reactivation and of unusual presentations of TB5,6 (see subsequent article in this series on TB and HIV).
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Author: A Fanning
Institution: University of Alberta
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2131043388