B-symptomatics with rheumatism | B symptoms

B-symptomatics with rheumatism

Rheumatism is one of the autoimmune diseases and cannot be called a specific disease. Rather, it is a collective term for various diseases. Typical for these diseases is that they are accompanied by inflammation and metabolic disorders.

It is precisely this combination that can cause B symptoms in severe disease progressions. In most cases, affected persons go to the doctor beforehand, so that the B-symptoms are then often counted as a relapse or can be seen as the course of the rheumatic disease. Nevertheless, newly occurring B-symptoms should always be clarified, as the risk of lymphoma is increased in the presence of a rheumatic disease.

B-symptomatics with tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of the infectious diseases caused by bacteria. If the course of the disease is severe, it can lead to fever and weight loss. Doctors speak of the presence of a B-symptomatic if the symptoms are very severe.

Since tuberculosis can manifest itself in many different ways, the term B-symptomatics is to be seen as a working hypothesis until a precise diagnosis is made. Tuberculosis is not always restricted to the lungs and can theoretically affect any organ. If the pathogens enter the intestines, this can lead to a metabolic disorder. Weight loss over a long period of time could then be the consequence and reflect another part of the symptom triad.

B-symptomatics in sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease that can in principle lead to inflammatory changes in connective tissue throughout the body. If sarcoidosis is not expressed in the lungs as in 90% of cases and makes the lung changes specific to this disease, it can certainly cause the clinical picture of a B-symptom in the patient. Precisely because it is chronic in most cases, it can lead to a permanent increase in body temperature and weight loss within various inflammatory flares. However, a precise anamnesis and physical examination should confirm the diagnosis of this systemic disease by means of the nodular changes in the connective tissue typical of sarcoidosis.

B-symptomatics with lymphoma

The Ann-Arbor classification was developed for a more precise classification of lymphomas. It differentiates malignant lymphomas according to their infestation pattern in stages and additionally with the letters “A” and “B” according to the presence of general symptoms. The aim of this classification is to determine the prognosis of the patient and to optimally adjust his therapy to his stage of the disease.

Patients with lymphoma often suffer from an increased susceptibility to infection at the beginning of their illness, which is almost always accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes. It is noticeable that the infections accumulate over time and are very stressful for the body. The patient then shows the presence of a B-symptom, which is typical for this disease. Especially the presence of the complete symptom triad of “fever, night sweat and weight loss” points to a lymphoma.