The main symptom of tuberculosis (TB) is a severe cough lasting three weeks or more. Patients may cough up sputum or blood, and they usually feel a lack of appetite and energy. Other symptoms may include fever, chills, night sweats, chest pain, and feeling short of breath. In most patients, tuberculosis is confined to the lungs, but it can spread to other parts of the body and damage other organs. However, most people who have been infected with tuberculosis show no signs at all. This is called latent tuberculosis, and it can be detected only with a tuberculosis skin test or blood test.
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