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Role Of Tuberculin Test As A Diagnostic Tool For Tuberculosis
Mujeeb Ur Rehman1, Saima Bibi1, 1
1Department of Paediatric,Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Insights
Tuberculin skin test (TST) positivity did not significantly differ between vaccinated and unvaccinated children with tuberculosis. TST should not be the sole diagnostic tool for childhood tuberculosis in this region.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Immunology
Background:
- Childhood tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health issue in developing nations, causing significant morbidity and mortality.
- The tuberculin skin test (TST) is widely used but challenging to interpret in clinical practice.
- Understanding TST positivity in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children with TB is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of positive tuberculin skin tests in vaccinated and unvaccinated children diagnosed with tuberculosis.
- To assess the impact of BCG vaccination on TST results in pediatric TB patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 150 children (aged 1-15 years) admitted with tuberculosis at Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad.
- Tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) was administered intradermally, with induration read at 72 hours.
- Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 10.
Main Results:
- Of 150 children, 50% were vaccinated and 50% unvaccinated; 56% were male.
- Positive TST rates were 5.3% in vaccinated and 2.7% in unvaccinated children, a statistically insignificant difference (p=0.40).
- Pulmonary TB (44.7%) and Tuberculous meningitis (43.3%) were the most common diagnoses.
Conclusions:
- TST positivity was not significantly different between vaccinated and unvaccinated children with tuberculosis.
- The tuberculin skin test is unreliable as a standalone diagnostic method for childhood TB in the study region.
- Further research may be needed to explore alternative diagnostic markers for pediatric TB.
Background:
Childhood Tuberculosis remains one of the major public health concerns in developing countries like Pakistan and is responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality in children. Although tuberculin skin test is very commonly used by physicians all over the world, its interpretation always remains difficult and challenging. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of positive tuberculin skin test in vaccinated and unvaccinated children suffering from tuberculosis.
Methods:
This Cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of Paediatric Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad from 1st February 2015 to 30th April 2016. A total of 150 patients were observed in this study. Children of either gender who were aged 1-15 years admitted in ward with tuberculosis were included in the study by using nonprobability convenient sampling technique. We injected 0.1 ml (10 units) of tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) into the anterior surface of the forearm and induration was read at 72 hours after administration. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 10.
Results:
Out of 150 children, 84 (56%) were males and 66 (44%) were females. The mean age was 7.8±3.84 years. Of these 75 (50%) were vaccinated and 75 (50%) were unvaccinated. In vaccinated Group 5.3% children had positive tuberculin skin test while in unvaccinated Group 2.7% children had positive tuberculin skin test and this difference was found statistically insignificant (pvalue= 0.40). Pulmonary TB was the diagnosis in 67 (44.7%), TBM in 65 (43.3%), abdominal TB in 7 (4.7%), disseminated TB in 4 (2.7%) and military TB in 7 (4.7%) patients.
Conclusions:
The positivity of tuberculin skin test in vaccinated and unvaccinated children suffering from tuberculosis was found to be insignificant in our study. We conclude that Tuberculin Skin Test should not be used as a sole diagnostic tool for diagnosing the disease in children of our region..
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