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Is it normal to have fever after TB treatment?
Fever has been reported to occur in 60-85\% of patients afflicted with pulmonary TB [1]. As a rule every case of active pulmonary TB exhibits some degree of pyrexia which is one of the important signs of TB activity [2]. Fever usually resolves by the second week of starting chemotherapy [3].
How do you know if TB treatment is not working?
These can include:
- feeling sick or dizzy.
- skin rashes.
- pins and needles.
- flu like symptoms.
- In very few cases people may experience jaundice, which is the yellowing of skin or eyes. If this happens, stop taking your medication and tell your doctor straight away.
What happens if TB treatment doesn’t work?
If a patient is failing their treatment this means that they are either developing TB symptoms again, or their symptoms are not going away at all. If this happens then a doctor should be consulted about changing the drugs. It is not satisfactory to just add one drug to what the patient is already taking.
Does fever keeps coming in TB?
People with recurring fevers, night sweats, and weight loss may have a chronic infection such as tuberculosis or endocarditis (infection of the heart’s lining and usually the heart valves).
How long does fever last with TB?
In 23 per cent the duration of fever was four days or less after therapy was started. What was surprising was that 30 per cent of the febrile patients had fever lasting three weeks or more, and that 14 per cent had fever lasting more than two months. The longest duration of fever was 125 days.
What can cause prolonged fever?
What causes a persistent low-grade fever?
- Respiratory infections. Your body naturally raises its body temperature to help kill the bacteria or virus causing an infection.
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Medications.
- Teething (infants)
- Stress.
- Tuberculosis.
- Autoimmune diseases.
- Thyroid issues.
How long does TB medication take to work?
The most common treatment for active TB is isoniazid INH in combination with three other drugs—rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. You may begin to feel better only a few weeks after starting to take the drugs but treating TB takes much longer than other bacterial infections.
Why is TB treatment so long?
A long treatment is required because antibiotics work only when the bacteria are actively dividing, and the bacteria that cause TB can rest without growing for long periods. This treatment is necessary to keep the latent TB infection from developing into active disease.
How long should a fever last?
Most fevers usually go away by themselves after 1 to 3 days. A persistent or recurrent fever may last or keep coming back for up to 14 days. A fever that lasts longer than normal may be serious even if it is only a slight fever.