4 key things to know about lung infections caused by fungi

Brits Warned To See A Doctor If You Have A Certain Type Of Cough

Tuberculosis is on the rise in England (Image: Getty Images)

If you have this certain type of cough, you should see a doctor urgently as one type of illness is on the rise.

Cases of tuberculosis have increased in England, according to data from earlier this year, reports The Mirror.

While coughs are common in the winter months, this year you should make sure you monitor your cough if you have one.

If it lasts longer than you think it should, this could mean you should book a doctor's appointment.

In February, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in its annual tuberculosis (TB) report that cases rose by over 10% in 2023 compared to 2022.

If your cough has certain symptoms, you should see a doctor (Image: Getty Images)

The UKHSA said: "The rise signals a rebound of TB cases to above the pre-COVID-19-pandemic numbers."

The health body said England is a "low incidence country for TB" but that the "the current trajectory takes the UK further from the pathway to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) 2035 elimination targets".

An investigation into the reasons was also announced.

Dr Esther Robinson, involved with TB surveillance with the UKHSA, said a certain type of cough can be an indicator of TB.

As reported by MEN, she said: "We are concerned that TB cases have increased in some parts of England.

"TB is curable and preventable but despite significant progress towards elimination in recent years, the disease remains a serious public health issue.

Throughout the colder months, coughs and colds are common but make sure you monitor your illness (Image: Getty Images)

"With treatment, most people will make a full recovery, so it's very important those with symptoms are tested for TB and appropriate treatment is started promptly, both for the individual and to prevent transmission."

A cough of over three weeks containing mucus should prompt you to pay a visit to your doctor.

The NHS lists the following symptoms as potential indicators of TB:

A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks – you may cough up mucus (phlegm) or mucus with blood in it

Feeling tired or exhausted

A high temperature or night sweats

Loss of appetite

Weight loss

Feeling generally unwell

If TB has spread to your bones, brain, glands or other parts of your body, you may experience:

How To Recognize The Symptoms Of Tuberculosis Of The Throat

Tuberculosis (TB) in the throat is a rare type of TB that affects the larynx. It's often misdiagnosed but has symptoms such as hoarseness and painful swallowing. If treated promptly, it can be fully cured.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs, though it can affect almost any part of the body. Tuberculosis in the throat, also called laryngeal tuberculosis (LTB), is a rare type of TB that affects the voice box, also called the larynx. It may cause symptoms such as hoarseness, painful swallowing, and shortness of breath.

LTB most often occurs when a TB infection in the lungs travels to the larynx. However, in rare cases, LTB may be confined to the larynx. This is called primary LTB. Primary LTB is not common and accounts for less than 1% of all TB cases.

Laryngeal tuberculosis is curable, provided you begin prompt antibiotic treatment and complete the full course of medication.

LTB mainly affects the laryngeal structures at the front of the neck, such as:

the thyroid cartilage

the vocal folds

the epiglottis, which is a flap of cartilage that prevents food and drink from entering the windpipe, or trachea, during swallowing

In LTB, one or more of the above structures may become swollen, inflamed, or ulcerated, causing symptoms.

Hoarseness is the most common symptom of LTB and occurs when the TB infection causes lesions to form on the vocal folds. Around 1 in 5 people with LTB also experience other changes to their voice.

A severe TB infection in the larynx can cause extreme swelling of the vocal folds. This can result in airway obstruction and rapid respiratory distress. Without prompt treatment, this could progress to respiratory failure, where not enough oxygen passes from the lungs to the blood.

Other symptoms of TB are only present during an active infection. Some general signs and symptoms of active TB include:

The M. Tuberculosis bacterium that causes TB is an airborne pathogen, meaning it can spread through the air in tiny droplets of saliva. If you inhale these pathogens, you could acquire a TB infection. If a person has active TB, they can spread these pathogens when they cough or speak.

If your immune system is unable to keep the M. Tuberculosis in check, the bacteria that enter your respiratory system can multiply, causing symptoms. This is what doctors refer to as "active TB." The pathogens may also travel through your circulatory system to other parts of your body.

If your immune system can keep the M. Tuberculosis in check, then you do not develop TB symptoms. This is considered "inactive TB." However, if you do not receive antibiotic treatment for inactive TB, you may develop active TB at any time and become sick.

Most cases of LTB occur when a Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection inside the lungs migrates to the larynx. However, in rare cases, the bacterium may propagate in the larynx itself, without making its way to the lungs.

Types of tuberculosis

There are three main TB disease types, or classifications:

Pulmonary TB disease: This type occurs in the lungs and is the most common.

Extrapulmonary TB disease: This type occurs in areas other than the lungs. Examples include:

Laryngeal tuberculosis: This type affects the larynx.

Scrofula: This type affects the lymph nodes.

Pleural tuberculosis: This affects the pleura, which is the thin layer of tissue covering the lungs.

Meningeal tuberculosis: This affects the meninges, which are the thin layers of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Renal tuberculosis: This type affects the kidneys.

Skeletal tuberculosis: This type affects the bones.

Disseminated TB disease: This type occurs when the M. Tuberculosis bacteria travels via the bloodstream to all parts of the body, where they multiply and cause disease in multiple sites.

As a 2023 research review explains, the diagnostic procedure for LTB is complex and often misdiagnosed. This is partly due to the rarity of the disease and partly due to the lack of specific symptoms. For example, doctors may attribute early LTB symptoms to more common conditions, such as:

If the doctor thinks that you may have TB, they'll order a TB blood test or a TB skin test to confirm that the infection is present in your body.

If your TB test comes back positive and you're experiencing symptoms, your doctor may diagnose you with active TB. However, additional tests can confirm the diagnosis and include:

The treatment for LTB is a 6-month antibiotic drug regimen to help destroy the bacteria causing the TB.

Doctors will prescribe a combination of the following four antibiotics during the first 2 months of treatment:

Doctors will then prescribe isoniazid and rifampicin for the following 4 months of treatment.

In some cases, doctors may extend the antibiotic treatment regimen from 6 to 12 months.

A 2024 case report notes that the above drug regimen leads to improvement in LTB symptoms within around 18 weeks. This can completely cure LTB without complications, as long as treatment begins immediately after diagnosis, and the treatment course is completed.

If your doctor prescribes antibiotics for LTB, it is essential that you complete the full treatment regimen, even if you begin to feel better. Stopping the treatment early can lead to drug-resistant or multi-drug-resistant TB. The latter is very dangerous, and its treatments can cause severe side effects.

Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about LTB.

Is tuberculosis of the throat curable?

Laryngeal tuberculosis is curable if a person begins antibiotic treatment early and completes the full course of treatment.

Is tuberculosis of the throat contagious?

Laryngeal tuberculosis indicates active TB disease. Active TB is contagious, meaning it can spread from one person to another.

How long does tuberculosis of the throat last?

In a 2019 study of 15 cases of LTB, the duration of illness prior to diagnosis and subsequent treatment ranged from 1 month to 18 months, with the average being 9.5 months. These cases resolved fully with treatment.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs, though it can affect almost any part of the body. Tuberculosis in the throat is a rare type of TB that affects the larynx. Most cases start in the lungs and spread to the larynx, though a small number are confined to the larynx.

Laryngeal tuberculosis may cause symptoms such as hoarseness, painful swallowing, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include a cough, fever and chills, and a loss of appetite. If you also have TB in your lungs, you may experience additional symptoms, such as chest pain and coughing up blood or mucus.

Laryngeal tuberculosis is curable as long as you begin antibiotic treatment promptly and complete the full course of treatment.

Victorian Disease That 'mimics A Cold' Reemerges As WHO's 'top Infectious Threat' – Are You At Risk?

A VICTORIAN-ERA disease that can mimic the symptoms of a cold has reemerged as a "top infectious disease killer", WHO has warned.

More than eight million people were infected with it worldwide in 2023 - the highest number recorded since the global health watchdog began tracking cases.

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Some 8.2 million people were infected with tuberculosis in 2023 globallyCredit: AP

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease we often associate with Dickensian England - as the dangerous lung condition reached epidemic proportions in the 1800s.

But a recent report released by the World Health Organisation warned that millions are still dying of the disease.

About 8.2 million people across the globe were diagnosed with TB in 2023.

According to the WHO, this is the highest number recorded since it began global TB monitoring in 1995.

READ MORE VICTORIAN DISEASES

"This represents a notable increase from 7.5 million reported in 2022, placing TB again as the leading infectious disease killer in 2023, surpassing Covid-19," the health watchdog stated.

It estimated that a total of 10.8 million people were sick with the killer lung infection throughout 2023.

Some 1.25 million people also died of TB last year - slightly lower than the 1.32 million deaths recorded throughout 2022.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it.

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"WHO urges all countries to make good on the concrete commitments they have made to expand the use of those tools and to end TB."

It comes after health bosses warned of a resurgence of the disease in England earlier this year.

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Figures released by the UK Health Security Agency in February showed that cases of the Victorian disease increased by over 10 per cent last year - up from 4,380 in 2022 to 4,850 in 2023.

Health chiefs at the time warned of the infection's similarity to a cold or flu.

Anyone with a persistent cough and fever, particularly those in groups at a higher risk of catching TB, was urged not to dismiss their symptoms.

Dr Esther Robinson, head of the TB unit at UKHSA, said at the time: "Not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or Covid-19.

"A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB."

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A quarterly report of TB incidence in England found that cases had increased by 7.5 per cent in the first four months of 2024, compared to the same period of time in 2023.

The number of infections in the second quarter of 2024 was similar to the second quarter of 2023, seeing a 3.2 per cent increase.

"The cumulative number of people notified in the first two quarters of 2024 was 7.1 per cent higher than the same period in 2023 - 2,630 individuals compared with 2,455," the report stated.

A UKHSA spokesperson told Sun Health that data for the third quarter will be published soon.

Public health crisis

The WHO's most recent report said that TB continues to mostly affect people in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Western Pacific.

India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Pakistan accounted for more than half of the world's cases.

The agency also noted that of the 400,000 people estimated to have drug-resistant TB last year, fewer than half were diagnosed and treated.

"Multidrug-resistant TB remains a public health crisis," it wrote.

New TB cases were largely driven by undernutrition, HIV infections, alcohol use disorders, smoking and diabetes, the report added.

Dr Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO's Global Tuberculosis Programme said: "We are confronted with a multitude of formidable challenges: funding shortfalls and catastrophic financial burden on those affected, climate change, conflict, migration and displacement, pandemics, and drug-resistant tuberculosis, a significant driver of antimicrobial resistance.

"It is imperative that we unite across all sectors and stakeholders, to confront these pressing issues and ramp up our efforts."

The tuberculosis symptoms to watch out for

TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it's treated with the right antibiotics.

It normally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, including the bones, brain, lymph glands, kidneys, spine, skin, and stomach.      

If you have TB in your lungs, the most common symptoms are:    

A persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks and usually brings up phlegm, which may be bloody

Breathlessness that gradually gets worse

Lack of appetite and weight loss

A high temperature

Night sweats

If you have TB in other parts of your body, you may have symptoms such as:  

Swollen glands 

Body ache 

Swollen joints

Tummy ache

Dark pee 

Headaches 

Being sick 

Feeling confused 

A stiff neck 

A rash

Source: Asthma and Lung UK

TB is caused by bacteria that spreads through droplets released by the coughs of people with active TB, the NHS says.

Symptoms include a cough that lasts more than three weeks, feeling exhausted, a high temperature, weight loss and loss of appetite.

It can be life-threatening, but most cases can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

The infection can also spread to your brain, heart, abdomen, glands, bones and nervous system, causing body aches and pains, swollen joints, stomach pain and constipation - among other symptoms.

People are at higher risk of the disease if they are in close contact with a person known to have the disease, travel to countries with high rates of TB, are homeless, are addicted to drugs, have a weakened immune system or are in prison.

There's a jab that protects against the bug, but vaccination programmes have been scrapped in several countries over the last 20 years.

Though the assumption is that the infection can only be spread by people who are symptomatic, research published earlier this year suggested who show no signs of the disease can also pass on the killer bug.

The study found that four in five people testing positive for the killer bug don't suffer from a cough - previously thought to be a key symptom of TB.

But even those who don't have a cough carry the infectious disease in their spit, which can be spewed into the air when someone talks or breathes, scientists found.

This means people can pick up the infection just by breathing near someone who has the bug but isn't showing any obvious signs, they said.

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