Today, many are interested in the Mantoux vaccine. What it is? To whom and when is it done? For what? How to make a similar injection? Could there be side effects from it? To answer all this, and not only, we have to continue. In fact, everything is not so difficult to understand as it seems. And with the right approach to the procedure, it will not cause any special problems.
Description
What is a Mantoux vaccine?
This is the name of the procedure for diagnosing tuberculosis in children and in some adults. An injection is not a vaccine, but sometimes people call the process that way.
During the Mantoux reaction, the identification of Koch's bacillus, the main causative agent of tuberculosis in the human body, occurs. After the introduction of the solution to a person at the injection site, one or another reaction should occur. According to it, conclusions are drawn about the presence or absence of tuberculosis in the body.
When to do
When is a Mantoux vaccine given to children? This is the most common category of the population, which conduct the corresponding reaction. In adults, the diagnosis of tuberculosis can be carried out by other methods. Therefore, they are almost not given a manta ray.
For the first time, the Mantoux vaccine is given at 1 year (at 12 months). Until this time, the baby should be vaccinated with BCG or BCG-M vaccine. This is a vaccination against tuberculosis. After it, it is problematic to become infected with the aforementioned disease.
Important: Mantoux is also carried out before BCG revaccination. If the reaction is negative, you can vaccinate further.
Methodology
Mantoux vaccination is given in a special way. As we have already said, vaccination should not be called a reaction. Indeed, with vaccinations, the operation under study has nothing in common. This is a kind of test for the presence of tuberculosis in children and adults.
An injection is placed on the inside of the forearm, in the second third. First, the area is treated with alcohol, then a needle and a solution from a syringe are introduced. Mantoux is placed subcutaneously.
After "vaccination" it is necessary to evaluate the result of testing for tuberculosis, but will have to wait about 3-4 days.
What does it consist of
Many are interested in the composition of any solutions introduced into the body. And mantoux is no exception.
The composition of the sample includes the following components:
- stabilizer "Twin-80";
- sodium chloride;
- phenol;
- phosphate buffer salt;
- tuberculin.
The last component is active. It comes from a weakened Koch wand. This component cannot infect a person with tuberculosis, but it helps to understand whether there is a corresponding infection in the body.
About contraindications
It is hard to believe, but far from everyone is allowed to conduct the studied diagnostics. Mantoux vaccination can be given to healthy people.
Contraindications to the sample are:
- skin diseases;
- chronic diseases;
- acute illnesses;
- somatic diseases with exacerbation;
- common diseases;
- the period after recovery (1 month);
- allergy;
- epilepsy;
- strong negative reactions to previous diagnosis of tuberculosis.
These are the main contraindications that everyone should know about. After all, not all doctors talk about their presence, assuring the mantoux that it is completely safe and that there are no contraindications for the test.
After other vaccines
Vaccinations after the mantle can not be given immediately, you have to wait. Ideally, a month should pass between the test and vaccination, but doctors can give “injections” immediately after evaluating the reaction to the injected tuberculin.
It is important to remember that immunity after vaccination is weakened. And so you can’t do a test after any vaccination. Will have to wait. Otherwise, the person runs the risk of receiving a false positive or questionable result of testing for tuberculosis in the body. These situations can cause a lot of problems. For example, to force a person to go to a TB dispensary and conduct a series of clarifying tests to verify the reality of the mantle.
How often do
The Mantoux vaccine is delivered, as we have already said, at 12 months. What's next? How often is “booster” necessary?
The test is done once a year. This is a common occurrence in the modern world. For adults, the reaction may not be carried out, since the diagnosis of tuberculosis is possible by means of a fluorogram. Children do not have such procedures.
In exceptional cases, the mantle is carried out every 3 months. Typically, such situations are monitored by doctors. And it is not recommended to conduct the reaction so often on your own - this can negatively affect the body as a whole.
In addition, the mantle is carried out before vaccination / revaccination against tuberculosis with the appropriate vaccination (BCG or BCG-M). As we have said, negative mantoux allows vaccination. Otherwise, you will have to postpone the procedure and start treating tuberculosis.
What can be indications
The response to the Mantoux vaccine may be different. Depending on the obtained indicators, the further algorithm of actions will change. For example, a person is simply sent home from a medical institution or sent to a TB dispensary to treat tuberculosis or to refine the test results.
At the moment, experts distinguish such reactions:
- positive
- negative
- doubtful;
- normal.
Next, we will consider the features of sample evaluation in more detail. It is not as difficult as it seems. But you should not evaluate the results yourself. In this case, the person runs the risk of incorrectly taking readings.
Negative indicators
Mantoux vaccination can be done to the bulk of the population. This is a fairly common way to diagnose tuberculosis in children. But how to interpret the results?
Let's start with a negative reaction. It is found only in healthy people, indicates that the body has never encountered tuberculosis or it happened so long ago that the immune system completely coped with the infection.
If the result is negative, there should be no reaction at the injection site. Maximum - a small trace from a needle inserted under the skin or redness of the skin no more than 1 millimeter.
Doubtful testimony
After a person has been vaccinated with Mantoux, a dubious reaction may appear. This is the name for the formation of redness in the injection area without ulcers and seals.
The size of the papule will be up to 4 millimeters. The color of redness should be pinkish. A questionable test makes doctors suspect tuberculosis. The reaction can be repeated or considered negative.
Positive test
Mantoux vaccination for children is used to diagnose tuberculosis in the body. Of course, if the child is sick or has recently been ill, the test will be positive.
Under such circumstances, a large papule and / or seal in the injection area appears. The size of the redness is from 5 to 15 millimeters. Usually a similar situation indicates the presence of immunity in the body. Doctors suspect tuberculosis and refer the patient for additional diagnosis of the disease.
Normal reaction
It is worth paying attention to the fact that various factors influence the Mantoux vaccination rates. This is extremely important when diagnosing in young children.
In general, BCG vaccination and the time elapsed after it affects the sample. The earlier the child was vaccinated against tuberculosis, the more redness will be normal. The age of the baby will also slightly affect the readings.
Below is a table of normal reactions depending on the age of BCG vaccination. Ideally, the child appears only redness. There should not be any ulcers, sharp changes in the color of the injection area and seals.
Turn
What Mantoux vaccination is considered a “bend”? This is the name for the sharp and unreasonable increase in redness at the injection site by more than 6 millimeters. This situation does not occur too often, but it does occur.
When a “turn” is formed, it is customary for a patient to suspect tuberculosis. Obtaining such a sample forces you to go to a TB doctor to clarify the results. It is possible that the mantoux gave a false result. This really happens in real life.
Hyperergic reaction
There is another scenario. The person who was given the Mantoux may be faced with a hyperergic reaction. This is a situation in which a large seal appears larger than 16 millimeters in the injection area or ulcers / abscesses form.
This alignment of 100% confirms the current infection with tuberculosis. In healthy people, a similar picture is observed only when the patient has recently suffered an infectious disease.
Important: if a person suffers from severe allergic reactions, he may also be faced with a hyperergic Mantoux reaction.
As a rule, the studied sample leads to the fact that a person is sent to a TB doctor urgently. There will be further testing of the body for tuberculosis.
Proper care
Vaccinations after Mantoux can be done, but not immediately. Until this time, a person will have to not only wait for the testimony to be taken, but also to properly care for the injection site. Improper behavior seriously affects the effectiveness of the audit.
Here are some tips to help the patient:
- Mantoux must not be wrapped, bandaged, or harnessed on the reaction. The skin should breathe.
- It is forbidden to wet the injection site before taking the testimony by doctors. Upon contact with water, the reaction may turn blue. This phenomenon causes suspicion of tuberculosis.
- Limit sweets to pending checks. This is necessary in order not to provoke allergic reactions in the body.
- Do not treat the injection site with anything. Zelenka, hydrogen peroxide, and disinfectants, it is forbidden to smear the mantle region.
- Do not scratch the injection. This behavior distorts the actual readings of the sample.
Perhaps this is all. Now everyone knows how to behave properly after a Mantoux test. It is not as difficult as it seems. But with young children, problems can arise. Especially in the area of sweet restrictions. With older children, strong control over the care of the manta ray is not needed.
Side effects
Can the reaction studied cause any negative effects on the body? Unfortunately yes. After all, even such a harmless method of diagnosing infection is an intervention in the body. And sometimes after "vaccination" such phenomena are observed:
- vomiting
- nausea;
- temperature rise;
- general malaise;
- increased fatigue;
- drowsiness;
- loss of appetite.
As practice shows, such "side effects" are most often found during BCG vaccination. Mantoux is easily tolerated by humans.
If indicators are doubtful
What to do if a person is suspected of having tuberculosis? Ideally, the patient is referred to a TB dispensary to a TB specialist. This specialist prescribes a series of tests to clarify the results of the reaction. Namely:
- blood analysis;
- sputum analysis;
- fluorogram.
Some experts even with negative results of additional diagnostics prescribe anti-TB drugs. This is a strong chemotherapy that seriously affects the body. It is possible to give such medicines to a child only with 100% confirmation of tuberculosis. Otherwise, the body will be inflicted huge damage.
To do or not
Some parents are considering whether to get a Mantoux vaccine. Previously, this was the only method for diagnosing tuberculosis in children. And so they put the test to everyone.
In modern medicine, mantu is not considered the most accurate way to check the body, but it is still widely used. If you do not want to put a sample, you can take such tests:
- Diaskintest
- PCR diagnostics of blood;
- TB-SPOT.
The latest analysis is the newest and most accurate. But it is not so easy to make a small child. The problem is venous blood sampling.