Which of the following is a symptom commonly associated with active tuberculosis?

• A. Rash
• B. Abdominal pain
• C. Cough
• D. Headache

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that active tuberculosis in the lungs almost always presents with a persistent cough. The infection irritates lung airways and promotes mucus production, so a chronic cough—often lasting weeks—is the most characteristic symptom you’d expect to see with active pulmonary TB. While TB can also cause systemic features like fever, night sweats, weight loss, and fatigue, the symptom among the options that best fits the typical pulmonary presentation is the cough.

Rash is not a common hallmark of active TB in the lungs and may be related to drug reactions or less typical forms of TB. Abdominal pain and headache aren’t classic primary symptoms of active pulmonary TB; they might appear with other conditions or extrapulmonary TB, but they don’t define the common presentation.