Tb lymph nodes: symptoms, causes, drugs, etc. • hello healthy

Definition

What is lymph node TB?

Tuberculosis or abbreviated as TBC or TB is a disease that is commonly found in Indonesia. Even tuberculosis in Indonesia was asked to be the number one cause of death infection. Most cases of tuberculosis attack the respiratory tract, to be precise the lungs. However, did you know that TB can also attack the lymph nodes?

The lymph nodes are a tissue system located in the neck, armpits and groin. Its functions include maintaining human immunity. If this area has an infection, you are at risk of developing swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, or groin. Your immune system will also weaken quite drastically.

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis can indeed be transmitted through the air. When a person with pulmonary tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, the bacteria that live inside will spread in the air. In free air, these bacteria can survive for one to two hours. When you inhale it, you get pulmonary tuberculosis.

However, as explained by a specialist in internal medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), dr. Irwin Ziment, if you do not show symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, then you will not pass TB lymph node disease to other people.

The reason is, the bacteria that cause TB in the lymph nodes will not be "pushed" out by coughing or sneezing like bacteria lodged in the respiratory tract.

How common is this disease?

TB disease that occurs in the lymph nodes is more common in male patients than female.

In addition, the average age of the sufferer when the disease is diagnosed is around 20 to 40 years. However, in developing countries, the average age at first diagnosis is 40 years.

Not only adults, lymph node TB is also very common in children, especially in Indonesia. Symptoms of glandular TB usually include swelling in the lymph nodes in the back of the neck, or in the indentation of the collarbone.

Lymph node tuberculosis is a disease that can be treated by controlling the existing risk factors. To find out more information about this disease, you can consult a doctor.

Signs and symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of lymph node TB?

Lymph nodes are the second most commonly affected organ with tuberculosis. The first is the lungs. According to the records of the Public Library of Science (PLOS) One in 2015, TB lymph nodes even account for 25 percent of all tuberculosis cases.

Therefore, you need to be vigilant and recognize the following kinds of symptoms. Especially if someone around you is diagnosed with tuberculosis:

• A lump appears on the front of the neck, just below the jaw. Although rarely reported, lumps due to lymph node TB can also appear in the groin or armpit.
• The lump at first is small and doesn't hurt, but over time it gets bigger and the skin around it becomes red. Some people also experience pain or tenderness in the area where the bumps appear.

Keep in mind, sometimes the symptoms of lymph node TB are not detected even though the bacteria have spread throughout the body. Even though being late in treating tuberculosis can be fatal. So, if the symptoms of tuberculosis are the main lymph nodes, which are lumps or swelling (lymphadenopathy), contact your doctor immediately.

Each patient's body shows various signs and symptoms of glandular tuberculosis. To get the most appropriate treatment and according to your health condition, check any symptoms of glandular tuberculosis that you feel to a doctor or health service center.

Cause

What causes TB lymph nodes?

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacterial infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Generally, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis will attack the lungs through air contact. When they enter the body, the bacteria will reach the alveoli in the lungs.

When M. tuberculosis When they enter the alveoli, most of the bacteria are actually dead thanks to the presence of macrophages, which are part of the white blood cells. However, a fraction of the remaining bacteria will multiply in the cells in the alveoli of your lungs.

Within 2 to 8 weeks, the macrophages will surround the remaining bacteria. Macrophage cells will form a wall covering the remaining bacteria in the alveoli. This wall, which is called a granuloma, will keep the growth of these bacteria under control.

However, if the immune system cannot resist development M. tuberculosis , the bacteria will grow uncontrollably. Over time, the granuloma walls can be damaged and bacteria spread to the outside of the lungs.

Bacteria M. tuberculosis it can enter your bloodstream or lymphatic canals. Then, bacteria that have entered the bloodstream have the potential to reach other body organs, such as the kidneys, brain, bones and lymph nodes.

Risk factors

What are the factors that increase my risk of developing lymph node TB?

Lymph node TB is a disease that can occur in almost anyone, regardless of age and racial group. However, there are several factors that can increase a person's risk for developing this disease.

It is important for you to know that having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will definitely be exposed to a certain disease or health condition. Risk factors are just a set of conditions that can increase your chances of developing the disease.

The following are risk factors that trigger lymph node tuberculosis:

1. Live or travel to an area with a high incidence of tuberculosis

If you travel or live in an area with a high incidence of TB, your risk of contracting lymph node TB also increases.

The following are countries with high TB ​​cases:

• Africa
• Eastern Europe
• Asia, especially Southeast Asia
• Russia
• Latin America
• Caribbean Islands

In addition, if you work in a place with a lot of TB bacteria, such as a hospital, clinic, shelter, nursing home, or refuge, the chances of developing this disease are even greater.

2. Have a bad immune system

Not only in certain environments, some people with poor immune systems are more likely to suffer from tuberculosis than ordinary people.

If there is a decrease in the body's immune system, infection attacks from outside cannot be handled optimally, including bacterial attacks M. tuberculosis .

There are several types of diseases that can affect your body's immune system, namely HIV / AIDS, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and kidney disease.

3. Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages

Other risk factors that trigger the proliferation of TB bacteria in the lymph nodes are smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs, such as drugs.

The dangerous substances in cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs have the potential to weaken your immune system. This means that your chances of suffering from lymph node tuberculosis can also increase.

Diagnosis and treatment

How is this disease diagnosed?

When you go to the doctor, you will first undergo a physical examination. The doctor will also check for lumps, especially in your neck.

If the doctor suspects that there are signs of lymph node TB, the doctor will advise you to undergo additional tests, such as:

1. Aspiration of the needle

In this test, your doctor will use a thin, small needle to draw fluid from your lymph nodes. Then, the fluid will be examined in the laboratory to check for TB bacteria.

2. Lymph node biopsy

Apart from needle aspiration, lymph node tuberculosis can also be detected through a biopsy. Usually, the doctor will take a small amount of your lymph tissue for examination in the laboratory.

3. Tuberculin skin test

Apart from the blood test, a simple tuberculin skin test will also be done. A small amount of a substance called tuberculin PPD will be injected just under the skin of the inner arm.

Within 48 to 72 hours, the doctor or medical team will check the condition of your arm. If there is a firm swelling that looks red on the arm, then the diagnosis of TB is likely positive.

Although skin tests are common, sometimes the results are often wrong. This can happen if a patient who was injected with tuberculin PPD was previously vaccinated with the Calmette-Guerin bacillus vaccine (BCG). In addition, it can also occur in people who have recently been infected but the immune system in their bodies has not reacted with bacteria.

How is lymph node TB treated?

The main goals of the treatment of lymph node tuberculosis are to prevent bacterial transmission, reduce the risk of disease recurrence, relieve symptoms, and prevent drug resistance.

Treatment usually depends on the severity of the patient. Here are two TB treatment options that are usually given to people with lymph node TB:

1. Medicines

Doctors usually treat tuberculosis with a combination of four drugs, such as isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (Rifadin, Rimactane), pyrazinamide (pms-Pyrazinamide, Tebrazid), and ethambutol (Myambutol). This combination is usually referred to as first-line treatment, or given first time as a TB treatment option.

Treatment generally lasts 6 months or more. It is important for you to know that you must take the TB medicine according to a doctor's prescription, and make sure you take the medicine until it runs out. This is to prevent drug resistance, in which bacteria will not respond to drugs.

If it turns out that drug resistance persists, doctors will provide second-line drugs which include ethionamide (Trecator-SC), moxifloxacin (Avelox), levofloxacin (Levaquin), cycloserine (Seromycin), and kanamycin (Kantrex).

The second line drugs will cause more side effects than the first line treatment.

2. Operation

Surgery to treat lymph node TB is generally performed when the above treatments have stopped working and the bacteria have become increasingly resistant to drugs.

In addition, surgical procedures are also usually aimed at patients with a lump that is harder and easier to move.

Prevention

How can lymph node TB be prevented?

The most effective way to prevent lymph node TB is by injecting vaccinations. In some areas with a high incidence of TB, there is a TB vaccination called Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) which can be given to prevent the spread of the disease.

This vaccination is effective in controlling TB infection, especially in children. Apart from giving vaccinations, preventing the spread of TB can also be done by treating people with TB bacteria in their bodies, both active and latent.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.