Mantoux test - norm, positive, negative

Let's start with what this trial is for and what it is all about. The body introduces tuberculin and there is a reaction to the administration of this drug. Only in this way can the predisposition of a child's organism to this dangerous disease be determined. The reaction of the body can be called a kind of allergy. In the place where the drug was administered, there should be reddening, a kind of inflammation caused by blood cells, responsible for the immunity at the cellular level. What does the term "positive reaction" mean? Inflammation is greater than that caused by the injection itself. Redness (papule) is measured with a ruler. On the diameter and determine whether the reaction is positive, or Mantoux - the norm. By the way, tuberculin itself is not an antigen, it is rather an allergen.

How is the norm of Mantoux evaluated in children? Two to three days after the introduction of the drug, a specific round, reddened condensation appears on the skin. Evaluation is carried out after 72 hours, beginning with examination of the external. In this case it is possible to establish either the absence of a reaction in general, or hyperemia, or infiltration. It is important to distinguish between flushing and infiltration. Palpno determines the thickness of the folds of the skin above the healthy skin, then - at the site of administration of the drug. The skin fold at infiltration thickens, as well as in a healthy site, equally. Then the measurement and registration of infiltrate size is carried out. To do this, you need a millimeter transparent ruler. "Hand-made materials" for this purpose are unacceptable. Be sure to observe how the result of the sample will be evaluated. It should be made in a bright room, only with a transparent ruler and only a specialist! Only the size of the seal is measured. Reddened skin near the seal is a sign of immunity, or infection is not.

Now, in more detail about what it means: "Mantoux is the norm". The sample is considered negative with a completely absent papule and a knock-off reaction from 0 to 1 mm. With such indicators, Mantoux is the norm. If the size of the infiltrate is from 2 to 4 mm, with redness and increased blood filling of the tissue, the sample is considered doubtful. In the case where the infiltrate is 5 mm or more, the reaction is positive. This is an excuse for anxiety, but not for panic, since the sample does not serve as evidence of tuberculosis. The following points indicate the danger:

• Annual increase in sensitivity to the sample;
• A sharp jump with an increase of 6 mm or more;
• Stay in the zone of increased circulation of tuberculosis (even short-term);
• Contact with a patient with tuberculosis (even a short one).

In these cases, the child should be referred to the phthisiatrician.

Weakly positive reaction is considered when the infiltrate is 5 to 9 mm in size;
The average intensity is from 10 to 14 mm; Expressed - from 14 to 16 mm, giperergicheskie 17 mm and more.

In a small child in two to three years, a positive reaction to the introduction of tuberculin may well be a post-vaccination allergy. The reaction depends on the reactivity of the individual and after a year and a half after BCG it can be negative, and questionable, and positive (by the way, the latter is observed in 60 cases out of a hundred, according to statistics). As postvaccinal allergy, positive reactions develop after 6 weeks, a special intensity is achieved by two years, when the post-vaccination immunity period is particularly pronounced. Therefore, in the first year or two of a child's life, reactions to a test can "show" 5-16 mm. And the scar from BCG at 4 mm indicates post-immunity immunity up to three to four years. Mantou is recommended for such children against the background of desensitizing agents (5 days before, 2 days after). If the result is positive, a visit to the phthisiatrist is mandatory. It is important to exclude any possible factors: infection, allergy, etc. If, after all, the reaction has caused allergies, the child is most often referred to the PDD, for examination, by recording. After six months, the test is checked. With an increase in the size of the reaction (or at the same size), allergy is considered infectious. Reduced sensitivity indicates post-vaccination allergy.

It's good when Mantoux is the norm. But with other indicators, you should not panic. As a rule, additional surveys dot the "" and "", refuting the presence of tuberculosis in the child's body.