Top Reasons for Getting a TB Skin Test: When and Why It's Necessary

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word “tuberculosis”?

For many people, it’s the depiction of the disease from old movies: someone coughs into a handkerchief and then when they pull it away from their mouth, it’s covered in bright red bloodstains.

These days, the disease is usually diagnosed before it gets to that point, but the concept remains: tuberculosis is a serious disease that requires both attention and testing. At Phillips Family Medical, Pamela Phillips, PhD, FNP-C, and her expert team offer tuberculosis (TB) skin tests to patients. Here’s more information about when and why those tests are necessary.

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that primarily affects your lungs, but it can also affect other organs including your brain, kidneys, and spine. It’s a serious disease that is spread from one person to another through coughing or sneezing.

You can have an active TB infection or a latent TB infection, which means the bacteria is present, but you don’t feel sick, you don’t have any symptoms, and you can’t spread the infection. About 25% of the world’s population has this form of TB.

Symptoms of an active infection include a bad cough, pain in your chest, coughing up blood, weight loss, chills, weakness, fever, and more. It can even be life-threatening for people who have suppressed immune systems.

Why should you get tested?

TB tests are used to screen for the presence of the disease so people can be treated and so the spread of the disease can be contained, and many employers require a TB skin test as a condition of employment. You should also be tested for TB if you're at a higher risk for contracting the disease. This includes people who:

• Have been around someone with active TB
• Are from a country where TB is common (Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe)
• Live or work in a large group setting such as jail, nursing home, or homeless shelter
• Are healthcare workers who care for patients at increased risk for TB

There are two types of TB tests: skin and blood. Both work by measuring your body’s response to antigens taken from the bacteria that causes TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). With the skin test, a small amount of the antigen is injected under your skin. If you’ve ever been exposed to the antigen in the past (which would indicate you have TB), a firm, red bump will develop at the site within the next three days.

You’ll have to return to the doctor’s office in two or three days for your provider to check the injection site to see if the bump has developed. If so, you’ll need more testing to determine if your infection is active or latent and the next steps you should take. Treatment usually involves a strong course of antibiotics to kill the bacteria.

If you’ve been told you need to take a TB skin test as a condition of employment for a new job, Phillips Family Medical is happy to help. Just call our DeSoto, Texas, office at 972-861-1151 to schedule an appointment, or use our online scheduler anytime!