Can untreated hepatitis cause health problems that may become fatal in the future?

A persistent, hacking cough that causes you to bring up phlegm and mucous and wake at night in a sweat is nothing to ignore — that cough is one of the major warning signs of active tuberculosis. If left untreated, tuberculosis is a potentially fatal disease — or it can cause a number of serious complications and damage to your body. The most serious outcome of untreated active tuberculosis is death.

For those who survive, tuberculosis can cause extreme pain and very serious health problems. Development of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Tuberculosis that goes untreated, or particularly tuberculosis that isn't properly treated with a thorough regimen of antibiotics, may mutate into a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is much more difficult to treat, and treatment must go on for much longer — often more than a year. Long-term damage to the lungs. Without treatment, tuberculosis bacteria can rapidly multiply and spread throughout the body.

The bacteria can quickly infect the lungs and cause serious damage, such as a collapsed lung. Many people may also begin coughing up large amounts of blood if tuberculosis continues to damage the lungs. Untreated tuberculosis can spread beyond the lungs and into other organs, causing damage that can affect functioning.

The liver is commonly affected by tuberculosis, resulting in serious damage and liver function problems. Tuberculosis bacteria, unless treated, can spread outside the lungs and even into the bones and joints. Bacteria in the joints can cause extreme pain, swelling, and even abscesses in, and damage to, the joints — sometimes leading to arthritis.

When TB bacteria spread into the eyes, the result can be redness, irritation, and swelling of the retina and other parts of the eye. Side effects from tuberculosis medications are very common and may sometimes be significant enough to keep people from taking them. However, you should never stop taking your medications.

Let your doctor know about any side effects, and together you may find a solution.