Once the full-blown disease emerges, if the condition goes untreated, one out of two people will die within five years. Another quarter of such patients will see their TB go into remission, a state where it is no longer active, though it may reemerge at any time. In addition, in one out of four patients, the disease becomes chronic and the person may continue to infect other people.
一旦發病，若不接受治療，二分之一的人會在五年內死亡；另外四分之一的病人則肺中的結核會轉為不活動，進入冬眠、伺機而動，但隨時可能再活化；還有四分之一的人則仍帶病繼續傳播結核菌。