Tuberculosis is one of the most highly contagious diseases of this era. Infection of bacteria called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (Mtb ) is responsible for this. Besides, TB is spread by tiny germs that can float in the air. This germ may spread into the air if a patient with this virus coughs near you. You may even get affected if the patient shouts or sneezes. It even can live in your body without making you sick. By taking a TB skin test near me, you can be sure of if you have this disease or not.
Doctor call this test Mantoux tuberculin skin test. By doing this test, doctors can diagnose diagnosis tuberculosis. They may inject a tiny amount of fluid just below the skin in your forearm. You will feel a small pick from the middle.
After two-three days, you will get the result. A health worker will check if you got any reaction after doing the test. If the test is positive, then you have a TB infection. You will have a hard bump or swelling on your arm if it’s positive. The negative will say the exact opposite. You will get to know more information about the TB skin test near me from this article.
What Is Tuberculosis
We all know Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease. It affects the lungs at the initial stage. A type of bacteria, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, causes this disease. But there are two types. One of them is an active TB infection. Another one is Latent TB. Active TB means if you have symptoms that you can notice quickly.
It will take like six to nine months to treat active TB. Latent TB means you have this infection but showing no symptoms at all. Eventually, it can become active TB disease. Your immune system tends to trap the TB germs with special germ fighters. The germ fighters try to keep TB germs from making you sick.
But the TB germs can even break away and multiply. Later they cause TB disease. Mainly they attack the lungs. But they can also attack the kidney, brain, or spine. You can diagnose this disease by doing two tests. They are a blood test and a skin test. They will determine how you should take treatment. Also, what type of medication you need to get better. Tuberculosis is mostly preventable and curable under the right condition.
Symptoms Of Tuberculosis
You may not even notice any symptoms if you have latent TB. It can probably stay dormant for years before developing into active TB disease. Latent TB may even remain dormant for years before turning in the active TB. The symptoms are mostly connected to the respiratory systems. You will probably experience a cough that tends to last for over three weeks. You will also experience pain while coughing or normal breathing. The other symptoms of TB skin test near me are-
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
Besides, TB can affect the lungs and other organs like the kidney, spine, bone marrow. Symptoms may vary from organ to organ.
Causes Of Tuberculosis
A bacteria named Mycobacterium Tuberculosis mainly causes TB. But there are a variety of TB strains. On the other hand, some have become resistant to medication. This bacteria is transmitted through infected droplets in the air. If another person inhales it, he will catch the infection too.
It can be transmitted via sneezing, coughing, speaking, and singing. People who have a high immune system may not experience this disease. Even if they find out that they are infected. This may be the latent TB infection.
It stays in the body without showing any symptoms. About one-quarter of the world’s population has latent TB. But this type is not contagious. It can become contagious if it turns into active TB. Active TB is very dangerous. If you don’t take proper treatment on time, you may even die.
Diagnosis For Tuberculosis
If you think you have Tuberculosis, your doctor will check your lungs first. Then they will check your lymph nodes for swelling. They will do a skin test or a blood test. During the skin test, the doctor will use a purified protein derivative skin test.
In this way, he will try to know if you have TB bacteria or not. The skin test usually happens in two parts, depending on the patient. He will inject a protein through a needle in your skin. A few days later, you will get the result. From the result, you can know what kind of medication you need to recover from this disease.
The blood test is actually for specific people. People who have a problem doing a skin test can go for this. Blood tests may come out as positive, negative, and indeterminate. But the blood test cannot indicate if someone has active TB disease or not.
TB Skin Test Near Me Part One
This test is mostly very well tolerated. And people barely have negative reactions to it. If you have symptoms of Tuberculosis, the doctor will run a skin test. The doctor will inject a tiny amount of tuberculin under the skin. He may inject it in the forearm.
Tuberculin is a type of sterile extract purified protein derivative (PPD). Its made from bacteria, and it causes TB. Some patients say they feel itchy after taking the injection. But it goes way within a few minutes. But after getting the injection, you will see a small pale bump on your arm.
TB Skin Test Near Me Part Two
You will need 48 to 72 hours to get the result. During that time, your doctor will examine your skin to see the reaction of tuberculin. By witnessing the skin’s response, your doctor will be able to tell you if you are infected or not.
If you wait for more than three days, then you have to do another test. Like you have to take a new test and a new injection. If it turns out your first TB skin test and it’s negative, the case will be different. You may need to return it in one or three weeks for a repeat test. In this way, you can be sure if the results are the same.
How Will You Identify
Your skin around the injection will start swelling if you have Mtb. You will see the swollen area in 48 to 72 hours. The bump or induration will turn red. But the size of the induration will determine your result. In this case, the redness will not make any impact.
- You will measure the induration across the forearm. It will be perpendicular to the axis between your elbow and hand.
- If the size of induration is less than 5 mm, it’s negative for TB. But it may be positive if you have any recent contact with a TB patient. Or if you are HIV positive.
- If the size of induration is at least 5 mm, it’s positive. Or you had TB before., you have had any organ transplant. Or you must be taking immunosuppressants.
- If it’s at least 10 mm, then it’s positive. But there are some conditions.
- If you recently come from a country that has a high incidence of TB
- You live in a high-risk environment
How Will You Understand Your TB Result
If the size of the induration is less than 5mm, then it’s negative. What if you noticed symptoms or you had been exposed to someone with TB? Well, get another test. But if it’s 15mm or more, then it’s undoubtedly positive.
The doctor will prescribe you medications if the result is positive. Even if you have symptoms or you are at high risk, the result will be positive. The medicines will help you a lot. Like they will clear up the infections and relieve symptoms.
If you are at low risk but have a positive result, a blood test is necessary. That means your doctor will recommend you to do a TB blood test to confirm a diagnosis. The TB skin test may turn out less accurate than the blood test. In that case, you may have a positive skin test. And a negative blood test.
What About False Positive Result
Receiving a certain type of vaccine will ensure a false positive skin test result. The vaccine is bacillus Calmette Guerin.Doctors use it to reduce a person” s risk for developing TB. We can see uses in certain countries. But there may be other reasons why you will get false-positive results. They are
- If the administration of the test is not proper enough
- The interpretation of your test result is not accurate.
- If you have an infection with nontuberculosis mycobacteria
What About False Negative Result
The test may turn out negative, even if you have been infected. In this case, it will be a false-negative test. This can happen because of incorrect administration. Or misinterpretation of the result can lead to this. But there may also be other reasons. They are-
- Immune conditions like organ transplants may cause a false negative skin test.
- If you didn’t take a test even when you were exposed to TB in the past few weeks.
- Infants may not have a false negative skin test.
- If you see the symptoms properly but the test is negative, don’t take risks. For your betterment, you can do a second skin test. Or you can go for a blood test.
Steps You Should Take After A Positive Test
If the result comes out as positive, chest X-RAY is the next step. It means the doctor will tell you to do an X-ray of your lungs. In this way, the doctor can determine the difference between active TB and latent TB infection. Your doctor will tend to look for white spots. It indicates areas where the immune system is responding to bacteria.
You can see some changes in your lungs. Because of the TB disease, you will see those changes. Your images can indicate that TB is present. Then your doctor will ask you to do some tests on your sputum. Sputum is the mucus. When we cough, it tends to produce then. By doing a lab test, the doctor can identify the type of TB bacteria. Because that certain type of bacteria is causing the infection. Later he will prescribe some medicines.
Treatment For Tuberculosis
Doctors usually suggest antibiotics for bacterial infections. You can take these for like week or two according to your doctor’s advice. But for TB, it is quite different. People who have active TB may need to take a combination of medications for six to nine months. The most important thing about this treatment is the course.
It means you have to complete the medication course thoroughly. Otherwise, you may again catch the infection. If it reappears, it’s hard to treat this disease with previous medications. Your doctor will prescribe your multiple medications. Because some TB strains are mostly resistant to certain drug types. The most common combinations for active TB disease are-
- Isoniazid
- Myambutol
- Pyrazinamide
- Rifampin
- Rifapentine
But these medications may not be very beneficial for the liver patient. So you also should let your doctor about any specific problem.
Last Words For TB Skin Test Near Me
If you feel like you have the symptoms of TB, then visit a doctor. He will tell you to do some tests. So for tuberculosis skin test is a must. Probably you are looking for a TB skin test near me. Then visit a diagnosis center that’s near your home. They will do some tests to find out if you have active TB or latent TB.
According to the results, your doctor will prescribe you some medications. The medication can go for a long time or a short time. But that depends on the severity of the disease. If you take treatment properly, then you can get better. It means the early diagnosis, proper treatment, full course of antibiotics will be helpful. So from the discussion, we can say TB skin test near me is entirely treatable.