WHAT YOU SHOULD
KNOW
Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is an infection that
usually starts in the lungs. The tuberculin (tuh-BER-cue-lin)
skin test is used to see if you have the disease. A very small
amount of fluid is injected just under the skin. If you have
the infection, within 2 or 3 days you will develop a hard, red
area around the point where the needle entered your
skin. Tuberculosis can usually be cured completely with
6 to 9 months of treatment. If not treated, the disease can
badly damage the lungs, spread to other parts of the body, and
eventually lead to death.
Causes
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria. It can be spread by
coughing and sneezing. The people in greatest danger of getting
TB are those who have HIV (the AIDS virus), abuse drugs or
alcohol, or live in a prison or nursing home. Tuberculosis is
also more common among people who work in hospitals and nursing
homes, and among those who are black, Asian, Latin American, or
native American. Having certain chronic (long-term) diseases or
taking certain medicines increases your chances of developing
the disease.
Signs/Symptoms
In the early stages of the
disease there are often no signs. Some people may have early
symptoms that seem like the flu. Later on, you may have fever,
lose weight, feel very tired, and sweat a lot (mostly at
night). With really bad TB, you can cough up sputum that looks
bloody, yellow, thick, or gray; feel pain in the chest; and
have trouble breathing.
Care
If the test shows you are
infected, your doctor may take a sample of blood and a x-ray
picture of your chest. You may also need one or more antibiotic
medicines to fight the infection. Your family members and other
people with whom you have close contact may need to be tested
and treated too.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
-
RETURN or CALL in 2 or 3 days so the doctor can
examine your reaction to the skin test. The test is
positive if there is a red bump about the size of a pencil
eraser or bigger on your arm.
-
A positive test usually means that you are infected
with the TB germ. You will need other tests, such as an
x-ray picture of your lungs or a sputum sample, to see if
you have active TB.
-
If you have active tuberculosis, your doctor will
give you medicines to fight the infection. Even if you do
not have active TB, you may need to take medicine to keep
you from developing the disease later.
-
If the test is negative, you are probably not
infected. However, it takes 2 to 10 weeks after being
around to a person with tuberculosis for the skin test to
be positive. If you have been exposed to someone with TB,
you need to get tested again in 2 weeks to make sure you
haven't caught the disease.
-
If you are infected with HIV (the virus that causes
AIDS), your body may not react to a TB skin test. You may
need other tests.
Call Your Doctor If...
-
You have any questions or concerns about the results
of your test.
-
You have any of the following symptoms of active
TB:
-
You start losing a lot of
weight.
-
You feel weak or sick.
-
You have a high temperature.
-
You wake up at night covered with
sweat.
-
You have chest pain, coughing, or cough up
blood.
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