Latent Tuberculosis and Renal/Larynx

[crabbycdn]

I was exposed to TB over a 10-year period as a child.  My last mantoux (++positive) was (about 1975).  I am registered with local Health Authority and provide yearly sputum samples and twice annual chest x-rays.  I am immuno-compromised due to diabetes, repeat pneumonia and viral illness lasting >6 months.  What are symptoms of laryngeal and renal TB?  (recent x-rays showed unusual on both).  Are night sweats 3/5 nights significant to TB?  What about coughing with productive (thick white/yellow) sputum, sore throat and difficulty swallowing > 3 weeks.  (Cleared up after 3 days on antibiotic (Biaxin) but returned 5 days after antiobiotic course (7 days) finished.  Is presence of all symptoms except marked loss of appetite and coughing up blood significant? (these are occasional).  If AFB sputum cultures and chest x-rays are clear in September and symptoms develop in December, are you still okay or does that mean that Latent may have become active?

[crabbycdn]

Flank pain, low back ache, low-grade come and go fever (no higher than 39), chills (usually around 35.2C and temp. dropping to 34C), night sweats, nausea, loss of appetite, high white cell count, on second course of antibiotics (erythromycin this time), cough is high-pitched and productive of small amount of mucous (yellow/green/thick/occassional streaks of blood), chest pain, swollen glands, very tired most of the time, x-rays sent to specialist.  Doctor says lung infection and is resistent to arranging AFB sputum culturing (not sure why) until x-rays come back from specialist, teenaged son is beginning to exhibit similar symptoms.  Not quite sure what to do next.

[National Jewish]

It is possible to have no symptoms with renal tuberculosis (TB).  It is also possible to have symptoms of a kidney infection, such as back pain and fever.  The symptoms of laryngeal TB are cough and fever.  Night sweats can be a feature of TB as well as other infections.  Your symptoms are significant.  A latent TB infection may become active at any time.