How can a child's body respond to a Mantoux test? Usually, after its introduction, a papule appears on the skin. What should parents do if a child has a negative reaction to a Mantoux test?
What is a Mantoux test?
This is a known method for determining tuberculosis. It is with his help that they check whether there is an infection in the child's body. This procedure is carried out for the entire younger generation under the age of 17 years. According to WHO, the Mantoux test is carried out in countries in which an unfavorable situation with tuberculosis has been created. It is used in the following situations:
- for diagnosing children who first became ill with tuberculosis;
- for the selection of children for BCG revaccination;
- in order to identify infected a year ago, with an increase in infiltrate more than 6 cm;
- with the establishment of tuberculosis.
As a result, children are selected for revaccination among such age groups: preschool children (6-7 years old) and 14-year-old schoolchildren.
Revaccination is done only to healthy children with a negative Mantoux reaction.
Initially, the drug is administered to babies older than a year. Until this period, the sample is not injected due to the characteristics of the baby, whose body is sensitive to many irritants. Therefore, the result of the sample may not be accurate.
Is the drug safe?
Why is there a negative Mantoux reaction? Test in children is the most common manipulation. This drug is considered harmless to the child, but at present there are babies who are hypersensitive to tuberculin. Therefore, the immune system cannot give the correct answer.
The drug is not related to antigens. However, some children after its introduction complain of poor health, while others do not even remember the test.
Currently, the diagnosis of tuberculosis by other methods is not informative, therefore, it is the Mantoux test that can detect the disease in the early stages. Many children thanks to her continue to live.
How often is a test done?
The test is done no more than 1 time per year. If the manipulation is carried out more than once every 12 months, the sensitivity of the immunity to tuberculin may increase, which will lead to an incorrect result. And if the Mantoux reaction is negative - is it good or bad? The answers to these questions are often of interest to parents of children with such a reaction.
The Mantoux test does not need to be wetted; most parents and children know about this. In no case should it be sealed with a band-aid, combed or acted upon by other methods. If the skin is irritated, then a positive reaction of the body to the sample may occur, which will be an inaccurate result. Therefore, a second procedure can be performed.
After the introduction of the drug, the child should limit the intake of certain foods (citrus fruits, chocolate).
If water accidentally gets into the injection site, then parents should gently pat it with a towel and inform the doctor about this situation during the examination.
If the Mantoux test turned red?
If a child has a negative Mantoux reaction, then parents believe that they should not be worried. Depending on the size of the papule, the result may be as follows:
- positive
- negative
- doubtful;
- false positive.
Typically, a specialist measures the resulting seal under the skin, and not around it. Redness is of different sizes and does not affect the result at all. Regardless of diameter, this is not considered a sign of tuberculosis infection.
What affects the Mantoux test?
What does this mean - the Mantoux reaction is negative? The result may be affected by:
- allergy;
- individual characteristics of the body;
- diseases that have a chronic course;
- vaccination;
- previously infectious diseases;
- unbalanced nutrition;
- age less than 3 years;
- living in an environmentally disadvantaged area.
When a child has a negative reaction, then the following factors affect this:
- incorrect administration of the drug;
- violations during transportation and storage of the drug;
- incorrect interpretation of the result;
- low quality medical tool.
Mantoux negative reaction - good or bad?
If the child has a negative result, then at the injection site the redness is completely absent or it is less than 1 ml. Below is a photo of the Mantoux negative reaction.
In some situations, such a test may be considered normal, but this does not happen in all cases. If redness is not detected, then the child’s immunity did not respond to the introduction of tuberculin.
A complete lack of reaction to the Mantoux test may appear in the following cases:
- The drug, which was administered during the test, turned out to be damaged during transportation, or the rules of the procedure were violated by medical personnel. Therefore, the papule is completely absent. If a child has had a negative reaction for several years, then he needs BCG revaccination.
- Negative Mantoux reaction per year. A small number of people in the world have a strong resistance of the immune system to Koch's wand. Therefore, a papule does not arise in such a baby either a year, or two, or at 14 years old. If the parents do not have a BCG scar, then the child also falls into this number.
If the result is negative, then perhaps the body is weak and could not react with tuberculin. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally that this is good. This can indicate both normal health and problems in the body. Only a doctor can assess this situation based on the child’s medical history.
There are several reasons when the reaction of the child's body will be weak:
- If infection with tuberculosis occurs, then the sample should be administered another 10 days later.
- The child is small, so his immunity inhibited responds to the introduction of tuberculin.
- An unstable state of immunity (HIV-infected child), which can cause a negative reaction to the introduction of the drug. In this case, increase the dose of the drug to obtain an accurate result.
Adverse reactions
Why is there a negative Mantoux reaction? When the drug, which is intended for the Mantoux test, is properly transported and stored, then no negative reactions should be observed in the child.
In some cases, the child is allergic to the drug. The causes of this condition may be related to the child’s body and the quality of the drug. In the first case, the causes are individual characteristics and a genetic predisposition to allergies. In the second case, this may be a manufacturing defect of the drug.
Together with a positive reaction, a child may manifest:
- nausea and vomiting;
- high body temperature;
- general weakness;
- itchy skin.
An allergy can be caused by a previous infection. When a child has a negative reaction to the sample, then it must be shown to the doctor. If you are allergic to the drug, you should not refuse to diagnose the disease, because there are other methods for determining it.
Is it possible to refuse the Mantoux test?
Tuberculosis is a dangerous disease that can be fatal. Infection occurs regardless of BCG, therefore, tubdiagnosis is so common among children and adults.
The Mantoux test helps to identify the disease in the early stages and identify problems with the immune system. Refusing for some reason from this procedure, parents endanger the life of the child.
If a child has a negative reaction during Mantoux, then in many cases this is considered a good result. However, doctors advise parents to undergo the necessary examination with the child and make BCG revaccination.
If a child inherits resistance to Koch's wand from his parents, then he may not worry about contracting a disease such as tuberculosis.
To get the exact result of the Mantoux test, you need to properly care for the place of the sample, avoiding combing it. Before the procedure, the child should be healthy and then his second examination after voicing the result will not be needed.