World Tuberculosis Day: 5 Early Symptoms of The Disease You Shouldn't Ignore

World Tuberculosis Day is observed on the 24th of March every year. It is recognized in order to spread public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB). It is one of the eight official public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organisation. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease which mainly attacks the lungs. It can also spread to the other parts of the body like the brain and spine. What puts you at risk?It spreads through air just like cold or flu. When someone who is infected coughs or sneezes, tiny droplets that contain germs are released. A person can get infected by inhaling these germs. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spreads from person to person through microscopic droplets released into the air. People with a weak immune system are at the risk of developing TB.Tobacco is another leading cause of developing TB. Over 20 percent of the worldwide TB cases are related to smoking.(Also read: Health Check: 25% Of The World's Tuberculosis Patients In India)The most common symptoms of tuberculosisYour body may harbour the TB bacteria and you may not even know. Therefore, doctors create a distinction between two types of infection. Latent TB is where you have the infection but the bacteria remains inactive in your body and thus, causes no symptoms. This isn't contagious but it an turn into Active TB gradually that makes you sick. Therefore, you may not notice the disease till it is quite advanced. If you've been experiencing any of thee frequently or for some time now, you must consult your doctor. These symptoms may appear slowly and you may not even have all of them.
 1. Coughing that lasts for three or more weeks. It may also involve coughing up blood. 2. You may experience pain the chest or it may also occur like breathing and coughing. 3. Severe unintentional weight loss accompanied by loss of appetite. 4.Fatigue, feeling tired all the time and shortness of breath5. Fever, chills and night sweats Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs but it can also affect other parts of the body. If TB occurs outside of the lungs the symptoms may vary accordingly. Without treatment, TB can spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream and cause the following health problems:- TB infecting the bones can cause spinal pain and joint destruction
- TB infecting the brain can cause meningitis
- TB infecting the liver and kidneys can impair their waste filtration functions and lead to blood in the urine
- TB infecting the heart can impair the hearts ability to pump blood,resulting in a condition called cardiac tamponade.As with all health ailments, prevention is better than cure. There is a BCG vaccine available to protect you against the disease. A lot of it has also to do with your lifestyle and your environment. Maintaining good hygiene, keeping your surroundings clean and making sure you have enough natural light at home can all help in preventing the growth of the TB bacteria. 
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)