What are the symptoms of TB in a 34-year-old? I am short of breath, tired all the time and have a cough and headache. Two of my family members have had positive skin tests and now get yearly chest X-rays. Could my symptoms possibly be TB?

J.

Tuberculosis (TB) generally causes a chronic lung infection. Most patients with tuberculosis in adulthood have fever, a productive cough, weight loss and night sweats. Usually the symptoms have been present for several weeks to even a few months before the patient is diagnosed. I would want to know how long you have had the symptoms and whether you have fever. If you have had the symptoms for as long as a year, then it would be unlikely that your symptoms are due to TB.

I'd also like to make a couple of points about the skin tests in your family. The fact that two of your family members have tested positive means that you have likely been exposed to TB as well. However, since your family members have not been ill with tuberculosis, they did not give you the organism. In addition, you imply that your family members have tested positive for years. That indicates that even if your current illness turns out to be tuberculosis, it was not you who infected them. It is likely that all of you were exposed at the same time.

You should definitely get a PPD skin test for tuberculosis. Even if the test is negative, you should see a doctor. A whole host of illnesses could cause your symptoms, including viral infections, lung and heart problems, chronic fatigue syndrome and other diseases. Which one is most likely depends on whether you have a fever and how long you have been ill.