Content
- At what age are children tested for the Mantoux test?
- What does the reaction to a tuberculin test look like?
- Mantoux vaccination: after how many days is it checked?
- Is it possible to test Mantu on day 4
- How to test Mantoux for tuberculosis
The Mantoux test is an intradermal or cutaneous test that is performed to identify the specific response of the immune system to the introduction of tuberculin. Thus, it is not intended to develop immunity to the disease in the baby, like other vaccinations, but to identify immunity to tuberculosis. The tuberculin test (the second name for the Mantoux reaction) is a very important diagnostic procedure for every child. The reaction to the test is checked by a doctor several days after the procedure. Many parents, worried about the health of their baby, want to know the preliminary result even before being examined by a doctor. In this article we will tell you on what day Mantu is checked and how to do it yourself. It is important to remember: independent “diagnosis” in no case can replace an examination by a professional.
Causes
The main reason for the development of an allergic reaction to the Mantoux test is the body’s failure to accept the administered components. When performing a tuberculin test, the following components are introduced:
- tuberculin;
- phenol, acting as a preservative;
- sodium chloride;
- phosphate solution salts;
- stabilizer.
Such a composition can be perceived as hostile by the baby’s immune system and the natural expected reaction of the body will be an allergy. Therefore, there is an allergy to the Mantoux reaction in both an allergic child and a healthy baby without any prerequisites.
When to check Mantoux
The Mantoux reaction, although not a vaccination in the full sense of the word, is included in the list of mandatory vaccinations that a child must receive. For the first time, a tuberculin test is performed on one-year-old babies. If the procedure is performed earlier, due to possible skin reactions, it is difficult to determine the result.
Then the Mantoux reaction is checked every year at approximately the same time until the child turns 14 years old. Children who have not been vaccinated against tuberculosis are given a Mantoux test twice a year. And for children who are at risk, i.e., who have close contact with a person with tuberculosis, the Mantoux reaction is checked 2-4 times a year. The Mantoux reaction is checked after a few days by doctors.
After tuberculin is injected intradermally into the child, bacterial particles begin to attract T-lymphocytes. Thus, T-lymphocytes that have already dealt with Koch’s bacillus react to the introduction of the substance. This is the Mantoux reaction, which externally looks like a compaction, a “button” on the inner surface of the forearm. It must be of a certain size and shape; if there are deviations, the doctor may suspect tuberculosis in the child. In order not to sound the alarm ahead of time, scaring yourself and your child, it is important to know after how many days Mantoux is checked. During the first days, the injection site may become red and inflamed, and may be too swollen, making examination difficult.
The substance tuberculin itself, which is used to test, is not capable of causing tuberculosis. It consists of weakened tuberculosis pathogens and is not dangerous to humans.
Preventive measures
If you are prone to an allergic reaction, including to the introduction of tuberculin, you need to pay tribute to preventive measures. This will help to significantly reduce the negative manifestations of the body, and possibly get rid of allergies altogether.
The following measures are recommended for prevention:
- diet correction - doctors will tell you which foods that should not be eaten should be excluded several days before the expected Mantoux reaction;
- to better tolerate the injection, after the injection it is necessary to change clothes to cotton, hypoallergenic ones;
- You need to have a preventive conversation with the child and explain that scratching the itchy papule contributes to an increase in the allergic reaction and incorrect diagnostic results.
How long does it take to check Mantoux on a child?
The reliability of the results obtained depends directly on what day the manta ray is tested. A reliable result will be detected after 72-76 hours, i.e., after three days. The correct result will be only during this period. After these hours, the size of the “button” changes and the diagnosis will be incorrect.
The doctor who checks Mantoux uses a special medical ruler to measure the size of the papule. The smaller it is, the better. The norm for a healthy child is 0-1 mm. But it is worth remembering that sometimes a tuberculin test can give a false result - positive or negative. The reason may lie in other diseases of the baby, in a procedure performed with violations, or in low-quality tuberculin. In any case, the doctor will prescribe a number of diagnostic procedures. Sometimes the result depends on the individual characteristics of the child’s body, so the sample is evaluated over time, comparing with last year’s results.
Is it possible to make manta if you have allergies?
The Mantoux reaction for allergies is not recommended by doctors. Today, there are several other methods where diagnostics and tests give the same informative results as the Mantoux test. Therefore, there is no point in doing Mantu for allergies and deliberately provoking a negative reaction in the child. If a child has contraindications for testing, including an allergic reaction, he is prescribed alternative research methods:
- polymerase chain reaction;
- quantiferon test;
- Diaskin test;
- linked immunosorbent assay;
- fluorographic examination;
- sputum analysis.
Each of these diagnostic methods has its own characteristics, and the doctor will prescribe a study taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient. This will make it possible to obtain the most reliable result.
Why is Mantu checked after 72 hours?
If you check the reaction of the child’s body earlier, the papule has not fully formed. In the first hours, the injection site resembles a mosquito bite, and there is redness around it. It is on the 4th day that the swelling subsides, and the papule acquires reliable features.
And 5 days after the tuberculin injection, the papule decreases in size, which will also distort the results. Therefore, it is necessary and possible to check mantu on day 4 - 72 hours after administration of the drug. But on the 5th day, the reaction to the administration of the drug can no longer be checked.
Most often, kindergarteners and schoolchildren are given a tuberculin test on Friday so that the reaction can be checked on Monday. If mantu was made on Monday, when to check? Doctors schedule an examination for Thursday, around the same time. If the sample was taken on Tuesday, it is checked on Friday.
Who checks Mantu at the clinic? As a rule, this is the same nurse who administered the “vaccination”. It could also be a pediatrician or phthisiatrician - a doctor involved in identifying, treating and preventing tuberculosis.
When sending your child for a tuberculin test, calculate how many days doctors check Mantoux. If it is not possible to show the child to a specialist on this day, it is better to reschedule the test to a more convenient time. It is better to temporarily postpone the “vaccination” than to torment yourself with anxious doubts and your child with the need for a repeat procedure.
How to check the Mantoux reaction yourself in a child
If we found out how many hours later Mantoux is checked, is it possible to carry out the inspection yourself? Of course, you can see what size the “button” has become and compare the indicators with the norm on your own, before coming to the doctor. But only a doctor will give an adequate conclusion.
How to test Manta in a child’s home yourself:
- Note the size of the redness, but do not take it into account when measuring
- Pay attention to whether there is a seal inside and its size
- If desired, use a pen to circle the papule itself without touching the redness - this will make it easier to determine the size of the “button”
- Use a clear plastic ruler to measure the size of the seal.
- Take care in advance of high-quality natural or artificial lighting - the papule is tiny, a few millimeters in size
If on the 4th day, in good light, the Mantoux reaction is almost invisible, the test is considered negative, and the child does not have tuberculosis
Mantoux reaction dimensions:
- From 0 to 1 mm – negative reaction
- 2-4 mm – the reaction is considered doubtful, the child is included in the risk group
- A papule larger than 5 mm indicates that the child is highly likely to be sick. The diagnosis is not made based on the reaction to the tuberculin test alone. Conducts additional research
- Over 17 mm – the so-called hyperergic reaction, which is a serious symptom of tuberculosis
In children who have not been vaccinated with BCG or are older than 6 years, there should be no papule, or its size should be no more than 1 mm. Then the sample is considered negative. Previous vaccinations, allergic reactions, infection with parasites, colds and infectious diseases, blood transfusions, incorrectly performed procedures, and violations of the rules for caring for the injection area can lead to unreliable results. Mantoux vaccination can only be given a month after the previous vaccination or previous illness.
The size of the papule depends on the age of the child. The doctor also examines how much the current Mantoux reaction is greater than the previous one. If this difference is 6 mm or more, there is cause for concern.
If your child experiences itching in the injection area after the injection, do not allow him or her to scratch the area. An infection may get into the wound, and the test results will be unreliable. For the first few days, you should not smear Mantu with iodine, brilliant green, antipruritics, or wet it. This can also affect the result. For several days after the tuberculin test, it is advisable not to give the child allergens - chocolate, oranges, etc.
As we said, the Mantoux reaction is checked after 3 days, but in some cases the child must be shown to the doctor before the appointed time.
The child should be seen by a doctor immediately if the following symptoms appear:
- Significant increase in body temperature
- Weakness, dizziness and general poor health
- If severe inflammation or even pus appears in the injection area
Such a reaction may indicate an allergy to tuberculin. However, these phenomena are rare.
If the test shows a positive result, the doctor prescribes a set of other diagnostic procedures. They examine sputum, do chest x-ray, and examine other family members. If necessary, anti-tuberculosis therapy is prescribed.
Will the test results be reliable?
In the presence of various types of allergies in children provoked by the administration of tuberculin, the diagnostic results cannot be considered reliable. In this case, the child’s immune system is overloaded and responds with a hyperreaction, which can be assessed as a positive reaction to the Mantoux test. In any case, it is not recommended for an allergic child to undergo testing using tuberculin; if diagnostics are necessary, the Mantoux test must be replaced with other methods.
The Mantoux test, like any other allergen, can cause a negative response in a child after administration. With timely measures taken, allergies can be stopped, but you still should not trust this diagnostic result. More modern diagnostic methods will help to conduct a similar study.
