Diaskintest - what is it? Reviews about this drug and instructions for its use will be presented below. You will also learn about whether this product has analogues, what it is prescribed for and what contraindications it has for use.
Composition, form, description of the diagnostic tool
What is the aforementioned drug? What do the description and instructions for use say about him? Diaskintest goes on sale in the form of a colorless and clear solution intended for intradermal administration. Its main component is the recombinant protein ESAT6-CFP10, which was produced by a genetically modified culture and diluted in isotonic phosphate buffered saline (sterile) with the addition of a preservative such as phenol.
In addition to the active ingredient, this medication contains additional substances: monosubstituted potassium phosphate, disubstituted two-water sodium phosphate, sodium chloride, water d / and polysorbate 80.
You can buy the drug "Diaskintest", the instructions for use of which are attached to each package, in glass bottles placed in blisters.
The mechanism of action of the drug
How does the medication in question work? What does the instructions for use say about this? Diaskintest is a tuberculosis allergen in standard dilution. It contains two antigens that are found in strains of (virulent) Mycobacterium tuberculosis and are absent in the BCG strain.
What is the reason for the action of the Diaskintest medication? The instruction reports that this tool elicits a cellular immune response to specific antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
After intradermal administration of the drug to people with tuberculosis infection, it causes a specific reaction on the skin, which is a kind of manifestation of increased sensitivity of a delayed type.
Indications for use of the solution
What is the tool in question intended for? What indications of the drug contains instructions for use? "Diaskintest" is used for staging an intradermal test in people of different ages:
- for differential diagnosis of a disease such as tuberculosis;
- diagnosis of tuberculosis infection, as well as assessing the activity of the pathological process and identifying people with a high risk of developing the disease;
- evaluating the effectiveness of tuberculosis therapy in combination with other methods;
- differential diagnosis of infectious as well as post-vaccination allergies (that is, increased sensitivity of a delayed type).
It should also be noted that the Diaskintest medication (instructions, reviews are important information that is recommended to be studied before use) is actively used for the purpose of screening and individual diagnosis of tuberculosis infection. For this, an intradermal test is carried out only as prescribed by a specialist (TB specialist), as well as with its full methodological support.
Who is prescribed the drug?
What category of patients is prescribed the drug in question? What does the instructions for use report about this? Diaskintest for the identification of tuberculosis infection is administered to the following persons:
- belonging to high-risk groups for tuberculosis infection, taking into account social, medical and epidemiological risk factors;
- sent to the TB department of a medical institution for the purpose of additional examination for activity and the presence of tuberculosis infection;
- directed to specialists after receiving the results of mass tuberculin diagnostics.
Sample rules
How is tuberculosis diagnosed with Diaskintest? The instruction for use states that an intradermal test is carried out together with an x-ray, clinical and laboratory examination of the patient in a hospital.
To monitor patients who are registered with a TB doctor with various symptoms of tuberculosis infection, the drug in question is administered with an interval of 3.5-6 months. In this case, a control examination of all groups of patients of the dispensary registration is mandatory.
Due to the fact that this drug does not cause delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions associated with BCG, an intradermal test cannot replace the tuberculin test for screening people for primary vaccination, as well as revaccination.
Prohibitions to use
Under what conditions of the patient can one diagnose tuberculosis with the help of Diaskintest? The instruction (the manufacturer of this product is ZAO Generium) speaks of the following contraindications:
- infectious diseases chronic and acute (especially during exacerbation), except in cases of suspected tuberculosis;
- common skin diseases;
- somatic and other diseases (especially during exacerbation);
- manifestations of allergies.
One cannot fail to say that in institutions with a quarantine for childhood infections, an intradermal test should be carried out only after its removal.
Instructions for use
Diaskintest is used only as directed by a doctor. The test is carried out by trained medical personnel with access to the tests.
The medication in question is administered only intradermally. To do this, use tuberculin syringes, as well as short and thin needles having an oblique section.
Before the direct use of the drug, be sure to check the release date and expiration date.
How is the injection carried out? Two doses of a diagnostic agent are injected with a syringe (0.2 ml), and then the solution is released into a sterile swab to the level of 0.1 ml.
In the process of drug administration, the subject should be in a sitting position. After treating the skin on the middle third of the forearm (inner surface) with 70% ethanol and slightly pulling the upper layers of the integument, 0.1 ml of the drug is administered.
After the test, a kind of papule with a size of 7-10 mm of a whitish color forms on the skin of a person.
results
The results of an intradermal test should be evaluated by a doctor or nurse after three days from the date of its conduct. This process is carried out by measuring the transverse size of the infiltrate and hyperemia of the papule, using a transparent ruler.
The following response estimates are available:
- Negative - is accompanied by a complete absence of hyperemia and infiltrate, as well as the presence of an “injection reaction”, the size of which does not exceed 2 mm.
- Doubtful - characterized by the presence of hyperemia, but without infiltrate.
- Positive - accompanied by the presence of an infiltrate of any size.
It should also be noted that positive reactions to the drug in question are conditionally distinguished by the following degrees of severity:
- moderately expressed (infiltrate size - 5-9 mm);
- weakly expressed (up to 5 mm);
- pronounced (10-14 mm);
- hyperergic reaction (15 mm or more).
People with a positive and doubtful reaction to the drug are screened for tuberculosis.
Side effects
Can an intradermal test cause a negative reaction with Diaskintest? The instruction (an allergy to this medicine, as a rule, does not occur) states that in some cases, patients may experience short-term malaise, fever and headache.
Drug interaction, overdose
Information about an overdose of the drug "Diaskintest" is not presented in the attached instructions.
The diagnosis of tuberculosis through the medication in question must be planned before the implementation of preventive vaccinations. If the latter have already been performed, then an intradermal test is done no earlier than a month after the injection.
Analogs and reviews
What is the drug under consideration replaced in case of its unavailability or intolerance? According to experts, this product has no analogues.
What do consumers say about this medicine? Most patients, especially parents of young children, refuse to do such tests. According to them, such injections can easily provoke the development of tuberculosis. However, experts report that a tool like Diaskintest is obtained from genetically modified strains of E. coli, so it cannot contribute to the development of the disease.
Also, many doctors argue that the intradermal test performed by the drug in question is, in most cases, tolerated by patients very well. Although sometimes people can still experience a slight and short-term increase in temperature, mild malaise, and headache. As a rule, such pathological conditions pass independently and do not require separate treatment.
Using the Diaskintest medication in schools, doctors can prevent the development of tuberculosis. Moreover, the refusal of the test entails a great threat to the health of the child and the people around him.