Tuberculosis and its accompanying complications can affect not only adults, but also children. You can confirm or refute a terrible diagnosis using different diagnostic methods. One of these is the Diaskintest test.
This procedure allows you to establish a risk group, as well as evaluate how effective the therapy used is. Please note : this diagnostic method cannot be considered an analogue of the tuberculin test. The latter is used to identify patients who need primary vaccination or revaccination with BCG.
If a child is less than a year old, it is not possible to diagnose tuberculosis using Diaskintest. This method is relevant when examining adults and older children. Together with it, other diagnostic methods should be used.
Evaluation of results
The results specifically by day do not play a special role. A certain reaction occurs within 24 hours after the corresponding test. Then it only intensifies, but after 4-5 days it will begin to decrease. You should not give a final assessment of the results on the first day. The most optimal period is three days.
However, redness sometimes appears on the first or second day . This is not a guarantee of a bad result, but you shouldn’t ignore a stain that has arisen.
The reaction of the organism being examined is of key importance.
She may be:
- Negative.
- False positive.
- Positive.
The last type of reaction can also be classified. A person who knows what a papule is can understand it.
The results may be as follows:
- Weak. It is characterized by the presence of a nodule measuring approximately 0.5 cm.
- Moderate. This element can reach a size of 9 mm.
- Expressed. There is a papule measuring more than 1 cm.
- Pronounced. The swelling area exceeds 1.5 cm.
Obtaining questionable results requires additional examinations. With their help, specialists will be able to certainly confirm or refute a possible diagnosis. The test result obtained after 72 hours depends on whether the area of redness has increased or decreased.
Important: performing the Diaskintest test is allowed only to nurses who have sufficient qualifications for this. If an unsuitable solution is used or the technique is violated, the result may be unreliable.
How is the result assessed?
A bruise at the Diaskintest site appears immediately after the injection or within 2-3 days from the date of its administration. After 72 hours, it becomes possible to evaluate the result of the injection.
- If there is no bruise at the puncture site, the person is considered completely healthy.
- The presence of hyperemia (pronounced redness) in the absence of a bruise requires the appointment of additional studies.
In other cases, the appearance of a bruise with a papule gives reason to assume that Koch’s bacillus has entered the human body:
Bruise size | Description |
Up to 5 mm | Notes a mild reaction and occurs when the bacterium is weakened. |
From 5 to 9 mm | Indicates a moderately severe reaction. |
From 9 to 14 mm | Appears when the reaction is severe and requires the prescription of preventive medications. |
Over 14–25 mm | Hyperergy that occurs during the development of an allergic reaction. |
In addition to the size of the hematoma, the presence or absence of an inflammatory process that has arisen at the injection site is also assessed, since the bruise itself, according to Anastasia Sergeevna Stepashkina, a hematologist at the Kolomna State Budgetary Healthcare Institution of the Moscow Regional Clinical Hospital, can only indicate a violation of the injection technique, and not about the possibility of developing the disease.
Norm
A negative Diaskintest result is recognized as such.
The following signs are considered acceptable:
- An injection mark appeared.
- A bruise at the injection site, the size of which varies within 2 mm.
- A seal with an area of no more than 10 mm.
Other external manifestations are not acceptable and indicate the development of tuberculosis in the patient . The presence of an extensive hematoma, skin hyperemia or large swelling is a signal for additional examinations.
What does a bruise mean?
A bruise at the Diaskintest site may occur at the puncture site 24 hours after the injection. If its diameter does not exceed 5 mm, the doctor concludes that the body has been infected with Koch’s bacillus, but it cannot cause harm due to its weakness.
In case of a severe reaction of more than 15 mm, the patient must consult a doctor and undergo additional examination, and, if necessary, take a course of medications that prevent the development of tuberculosis over the next 2 years.
A bruise can also appear if the drug administration tactics are violated or if the person has very thin skin. As noted by WHO doctors and Russian pediatricians, this problem is most often encountered in the study of young children, whose skin is so delicate that it is injured even by a thin needle. During the puncture, blood vessels located close to the skin are damaged, which leads to the formation of a gradually increasing hematoma.
According to neonatologist, pediatrician of the State Healthcare Institution Lipetsk State Children's Hospital Aida Georgievna Karabekyan, the appearance of a bruise in most children under the age of 18 is only a skin reaction to the traumatic effect of an injection needle and is not accompanied by swelling or redness of the tissue. A hematoma appears within 2-3 hours from the moment of injection and disappears on its own 3-4 days after the puncture.
When studying the results of the study, the doctor notices a bruise, but evaluates not it, but the papule (or lack thereof) formed at the puncture site, since the hematoma itself, according to the pediatrician of Tomsk Ogauz DB2 Elena Aleksandrovna Furmanova, is not a sign of human infection.
According to an oncologist at the Moscow Russian Cancer Research Center named after. N.N. Blokhin Baranovsky Dmitry Anatolyevich, the cause for concern is not a single hematoma formed at the puncture site, but multiple bruises that appeared on the body after Diaskintest and are a sharp immune response of the body. This situation, according to the doctor, requires urgent additional research, including a blood test.
Allergy
Some patients may be allergic to Diaskintest. This is due to the presence of a foreign protein in the drug used, which acts as an allergen. If there is any suspicion, you should first make sure that the patient does not have hypersensitivity to the components of this sample.
Are there or could there be other risks during the procedure? No, under normal circumstances Diaskintest has no consequences.
If the subject has an allergic reaction, it means that using this diagnostic method in the future is strictly prohibited.
In this case, symptoms such as:
- a slight jump in body temperature;
- headache;
- relative malaise;
are the body’s usual response to the procedure. Allergy to Diaskintest is more pronounced. If symptoms persist and the test site begins to itch, it is recommended to consult a specialist.
How to prevent a bruise
The reasons for the appearance of a bruise at the Diaskintest site are associated with:
- very thin skin of the patient;
- the presence of blood vessels located close to the skin;
- administering the drug with a blunt or very large needle;
- unprofessional administration of the vaccine.
Preventing the appearance of a hematoma will allow research in specialized clinics by experienced specialists, including anti-tuberculosis dispensaries, district clinics and private medical src=»https://healthperfect.ru/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sinyak-na-meste- diaskintesta-3.jpeg" class="aligncenter" width="600″ height="406″[/img]
Most often, hematomas form on the hands of young children and adolescents. This is due not only to the high sensitivity of the skin of children, but also to the fact that they, according to Elena Ivanovna Mosaleva, a phthisiatrician at the Kerch tuberculosis dispensary, are at risk and are most susceptible to infection with Koch’s bacillus.
Diaskintest injection is administered to children and adolescents in educational children's institutions, clinics and anti-tuberculosis dispensaries, and the injection technology requires the use of a sterile syringe with a silicone pump and a small-diameter needle, which reduces the likelihood of a hematoma.
Diaskintest is a drug used to detect tuberculosis in the early stages. Considered in medicine to be a modern alternative to the Mantoux reaction, the drug, when administered, can provoke the formation of a hematoma associated with injury to the capillaries and, if small in size, is not a sign of infection with Koch’s bacillus. The bruise disappears on its own on the 4-5th day after the injection, without causing complications or pain.
Overly positive results
In addition to those mentioned, there is a hyperergic reaction to Diaskintest. Simply put, the patient’s body reacted too strongly to the administration of the drug. Often the case is not limited to the usual symptoms (a red spot at the injection site, swelling and hematoma). The papules that appear after Diaskintest sometimes exceed 1.5 cm in size. In addition, there is inflammation and severe irritation.
The listed symptoms can be explained by the special sensitivity of the patient’s body to some components of the sample. The presence of a hyperergic reaction should also be used to judge the active course of pathological processes.
Only a competent doctor can determine the reasons for the results obtained. To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to carry out auxiliary measures within the walls of a tuberculosis clinic.
What is considered normal
A bruise at the Diskintest site up to 5 mm in size without the formation of a papule is considered absolutely normal, does not require treatment and disappears on its own within 4–5 days. A small hematoma, according to pediatricians, does not affect the study of the reaction of the study and does not indicate infection with tuberculosis.
In case of possible infection
A bruise with Diaskinten not exceeding 5 mm in size, but accompanied by the formation of a papule with a diameter of 2–4 mm, is not considered a sign of tuberculosis, but only indicates that Koch’s bacillus has entered the human body. The bacterium, according to neonatologist and pediatrician Aida Georgievna Karabekyan, in this case, although it is inside the body, is still weak enough to cause significant harm to the body.
To prevent it from getting stronger and starting to multiply, the patient needs to take measures that strengthen the immune system:
- spend a lot of time in the fresh air;
- Healthy food;
- carry out hardening activities;
- engage in physical exercise.
In addition, the patient needs to visit a phthisiatrician and additionally undergo fluorography.
For an allergic reaction
If the bruise increases to 14–15 mm, doctors can assume a hyperergic (pronounced allergic) reaction in the human body. Its symptoms appear in humans not on the 2-3rd day, but several hours after administration.
Signs of an allergic reaction are similar to those of a cold and cause the patient to:
- headache;
- weakness;
- increased body temperature;
- pain;
- nausea;
- loss of appetite.
Insomnia may also occur.
With a hyperergic reaction, an allergic rash may appear on the human body, affecting, among other things, the injection site. Pimples or red spots itch very much, causing the patient a lot of discomfort.
According to pediatrician Elena Aleksandrovna Furmanova, in most cases, hyperergy occurs as a consequence of the body’s negative reaction to a foreign protein contained in synthetic tuberculin, but it also makes it possible to assume the likelihood of the development of pathological processes.
Only a phthisiatrician can determine the exact diagnosis, as well as the cause that caused the allergic reaction, after examination and obtaining the results of additional tests.
The patient's condition improves after the drug is removed from the body. Then other symptoms of an allergic reaction disappear.
Nuances
Sometimes Diaskintest is characterized by a delayed appearance of redness (after 7-10 days). A doctor can explain why this happened and how to reduce the swelling.
A positive or questionable reaction to a test is not a reason for serious worries. Therefore, you should not look for ways to reduce the red mark that appears .
In rare cases, such an indicator means the development of a severe form of pathology. Usually the case is associated with infection with the tuberculosis bacillus, which can be easily eliminated. It is enough to adhere to precautions and avoid exposure to negative factors.
Please note : a positive result also occurs with an abnormal analysis. The presence of a non-aggressive form of the disease in the patient also explains the negative results.
Any of the reactions obtained requires additional analysis. This will confirm or refute the possible diagnosis.
How is Diaskintest performed?
Traditionally, the Mantoux test is used to detect tuberculosis infection in the early stages. But a positive result does not always mean that the child actually has tuberculosis. The Mantoux reaction will be positive if BCG vaccination has recently been carried out. In addition, if a person once had tuberculosis, even after complete recovery for several years, the Mantoux test will be positive. In comparison with Mantoux, the evaluation of Diaskintest results is much more reliable and reliable. In this case, Diaskintest is carried out in the same way:
- First, the doctor will examine the patient to make sure there are no contraindications.
- Then, on the right or left forearm (depending on the child’s active hand), disinfect the skin with alcohol.
- An insulin disposable syringe with a silicone pump is used to administer the solution. Although the needle is thin, a hematoma almost always appears in children after administration of the drug.
A bruise at the injection site immediately after Diaskintest does not mean anything. The result will be assessed by a medical professional only three days after the injection, as after the Mantoux test. During this period, some precautions should be taken: do not scratch the injection site, do not heat, do not wet or lubricate with anything. The reliability of the Diskintest depends on how qualified the nurse was doing it, and how the patient himself behaved after the test.
The result of Diaskintest may be influenced by the presence of helminthic infection in a child or adult. Parasitic infection causes allergies. The immune response of an infected person fails. Diaskintest in the presence of worms is often positive. Before the test, take the newest drug against most known Intoxic parasites to be absolutely sure of the reliability of the test result.