March 20, 2006 Hello! Have you ever had a skin test to check for Tuberculosis? Did you ever wonder why? "The tuberculin skin
test is used to determine if a person has TB infection. A substance,
called tuberculin, is injected into the skin. Tuberculin is purified
protein and not a vaccine or contains any germ cells. The immune
system of most people who have TB infection recognizes tuberculin
and this will cause a reaction in the skin." And if the test shows that a person does have a TB infection, what does that mean? "Tuberculosis (often
called TB) is an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs,
but can attack almost any part of the body. Tuberculosis is spread
from person to person through the air. ... It is important to understand
that there is a difference between being infected with TB and having
TB disease. Someone who is infected with TB has the TB germs, or
bacteria, in their body. The body's defenses are protecting them
from the germs and they are not sick. Someone with TB disease is
sick and can spread the disease to other people. A person with TB
disease needs to see a doctor as soon as possible." TB is an international health issue. "[Friday, March 17,
2006] Although the current tuberculosis treatment strategy has helped
cure nearly 20 million patients of TB, the incidence of TB continues
to climb. March 24 is World TB Day, and to observe the occasion,
this week's issue of The Lancet medical journal has a special TB
focus. TB remains the leading cause of death from a curable infectious
disease, Dr. Christopher Dye, from the World Health Organization
in Geneva notes." "Is TB a problem in
the United States? In the United States, TB has re-emerged as a
serious public health problem. In 2001, based on provisional data
reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the number of cases has decreased for the ninth straight year to
15,991 cases of active TB (infection with full-blown disease symptoms).
This all-time low is due largely to improved public health control
measures. In addition to those with active TB, however, an estimated
10 to 15 million people in the United States are infected with M.
tuberculosis without displaying symptoms (latent TB) and about
one in ten of these individuals will develop active TB at some time
in their lives. Minorities are affected disproportionately by TB:
54 percent of active TB cases in 1999 were among African-American
and Hispanic people, with an additional 20 percent found in Asians." "In the United States, TB has re-emerged as a serious public health problem," but TB is "a curable infectious disease." "With appropriate
antibiotic treatment, TB can be cured in more than nine out of ten
patients. Successful treatment of TB depends on close cooperation
between the patient and doctor and other health care workers. Treatment
usually combines several different antibiotic drugs which are given
for at least six months, sometimes for as long as 12 months. Patients
must take their medicine on time every day for the 6 to 12 months.
... If patients don't take all their medicine the way their doctor
tells them, they can become sick again and spread TB to their friends
and family. Additionally, when patients do not take all the drugs
the doctor has prescribed or skip times when they are supposed to
take them, the TB bacteria learn to outwit the TB antibiotics, and
soon those medications no longer work against the disease. If this
happens, the person now has resistant TB infection." Most cases of TB can be cured with the proper treatment -- especially if they are caught early. "The Mantoux method
of application is the preferred type of skin test because it is
the most accurate. When the Mantoux skin test is performed, a needle
is injected into the upper skin layer of the patient's arm. The
arm is examined 48 to 72 hours after the tuberculin injection in
order to evaluate the reaction on the patient's skin. Any swelling
that can be felt around the site of the injection, also known as
induration, is measured. The diagnosis of TB infection depends on
the size of the measured induration and the patient's individual
risk factors." While a skin test is the preferred method of testing, it is not 100% accurate. If health care professionals suspect that a patient is infected with TB or has the TB disease, then other tests can be done to confirm the diagnosis. "In December 2004, the FDA approved a new diagnostic test for M. tuberculosis-complex infection known as the Quantiferon®-TB Gold. This in vitro diagnostic test measures the amount of interferon-gamma produced by cells in whole blood that have been stimulated by mycobacterial peptides. ... "If TB infection or disease is suspected, a chest x-ray should be taken. The chest x-ray helps the clinician determine any presence of TB or old healed TB disease. In TB infection, the chest x-ray is usually normal. "A Bacteriological
Examination ... is an examination of the secretions from the lungs
(sputum), directly under a microscope or by culture." Questions of the Week:
Please email me with any ideas or suggestions. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cindy |
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