Tuberculosis causes mortality through severe pulmonary damage, supported by multiple studies documenting how Mycobacterium tuberculosis drives extensive tissue necrosis, extracellular matrix degradation, and cavitation.
The retrieved papers consistently support the claim that tuberculosis causes severe pulmonary damage and mortality through mechanisms such as ferroptosis-mediated necrosis, matrix metalloproteinase-driven extracellular matrix destruction, and caseous necrosis.