India, Oct. 25 -- India carries a quarter of the world's tuberculosis burden. And for years, the advice on tuberculosis was simple: if you have a cough that lasts more than two weeks, get tested. That advice still holds, but it is no longer the whole story. Tuberculosis can begin with tiredness, a lost appetite or a little weight loss, things that are easy to blame on work, age or a busy life. Catching tuberculosis early means noticing the pattern, not any single sign. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Rajendra Prasad, director, medical education, and professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, shared tuberculosis symptoms that are often overlooked.

The cough may be dry or bring up phlegm, and it do...