What is the TB skin test for? If I am positive, what is that mean?

Question

What is the TB skin test for? If I am positive, what is that mean?

Answer 1

The TB skin test does nothing more than check to see if you have ever been exposed to tuberculosis. This does not mean that you have ever had the active disease but it does mean that you could have it reactivated. If it is a positive test- they will have you do a chest xray and maybe some bloodwork to see if you have an active infection.

Answer 2

Positive results may be due to a latent or active TB infection or occasionally due to a false positive. Positive results may also be seen in those who have received a BCG (bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccination. [This is a vaccine that is not used in the United States but is often routinely administered in other countries that have a higher incidence of TB.]

Positive results must be followed up by other tests such as chest X-rays to look for signs of active TB disease. If active TB disease is suspected, AFB cultures may be used to confirm the diagnosis.


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Is there anything else I should know?
If you have had a positive TB skin test, usually you should not have another one done. A positive will remain positive and the skin reaction of any subsequent TB skin tests will likely become increasingly severe - to the point that they may require medical attention. Even a negative test may still result in moderate pain, itching, or redness. If the test is not done according to guidelines, however, it will need to be repeated.

You may not respond to a TB skin test if you have had a recent viral infection or a "live" vaccine for conditions such as measles, mumps, chickenpox, influenza, or if you have overwhelming tuberculosis, another bacterial infection, or are taking immune suppressive drugs such as corticosteroids.

Answer 3

Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for Tubercle Bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones and joints.

Over a half of the world's population now has the TB bacterium in their bodies and new infections are occurring at a rate of one per second.[1] Not everyone who is infected develops the disease and asymptomatic latent TB infection is most common. However, one in ten latent infections will progress to active TB disease which, if left untreated, will kill more than half of its victims. In 2004, 14.6 million people had active TB and there were 8.9 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths,[1] mostly in developing countries. A rising number of people in the developed world contract tuberculosis because their immune systems are compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse, or HIV/AIDS.

The rise in HIV infection levels and the neglect of TB control programs have caused a resurgence of tuberculosis, and drug-resistant strains of TB are also emerging.[2] The World Health Organization declared TB a global health emergency in 1993, and the Stop TB Partnership proposed a Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis which aims to save 14 million lives between 2006 and 2015.[3]

Answer 4

There are some false positive t.b.tests. Some people read the reddness around the injection site as positive when in fact it could just be a local reaction to the ingredients in the t.b. shot. The circumference of the reddness needs to be measured and observed. The nurse that reads the test will have the gadget to measure with. Sometimes they do a repeat in one month and if they get the same result as positive, then they will do a chest x-ray, and maybe put you on some medication.

Answer 5

a TB skin test is to determine if you have or been in contact with TB.

a positive skin test could mean 1. you have it in which case you'd be further examined 2. you've been in contact with somebody who either has it or is a carrier this would also mean further examination by your doctor. 3. you've already had TB at some time in your background which would require a search into your medical history.

i hope this meets your needs

Answer 6

it means your body has antibodies to TB. If it is positive, it does not mean conclusively that you have TB, just that you have been exposed at some point in time. Chest X-Ray or other work up would need to be done to evaluate the situation further.

Answer 7

The TB skin test will tell you if you have been exposed to tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease. If the result is positive, you will be put on antibiotics, for I believe 21 days or so.

Answer 8

it's for tuberculosis, a very bad lung disease. It was uncurable until the sixties, now it can be treated with very aggressive antibiotics. If you're positive I imagine you have TB . IN which case you should be quaranteened. It is very very contagious. It was almost always fatal before but now is mostly treatable except for the very old and very young and people with lung problems

Answer 9

well its a contagious bacteria that affects the lung not sure about the rest but here is a link that may help ok