Complications

Without treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. Untreated active disease typically affects your lungs, but it can affect other parts of your body, as well.

Tuberculosis complications include:

• Spinal pain. Back pain and stiffness are common complications of tuberculosis.
• Joint damage. Arthritis that results from tuberculosis (tuberculous arthritis) usually affects the hips and knees.
• Swelling of the membranes that cover your brain (meningitis). This can cause a lasting or intermittent headache that occurs for weeks and possible mental changes.
• Liver or kidney problems. Your liver and kidneys help filter waste and impurities from your bloodstream. Tuberculosis in these organs can impair their functions.
• Heart disorders. Rarely, tuberculosis can infect the tissues that surround your heart, causing inflammation and fluid collections that might interfere with your heart's ability to pump effectively. This condition, called cardiac tamponade, can be fatal.