The Mantoux test is done to detect one of the most dangerous infectious diseases - tuberculosis. Despite the safety of this diagnostic method, there are certain contraindications to it. Often parents are interested in whether it is possible to put Mantoux on a child with a cold.
Mantoux test
What is Mantoux vaccination
BCG is a vaccine given to newborn babies with the aim of developing strong immunity against tuberculosis. In the future, vaccinated children determine the presence of the disease using the Mantoux reaction.
It represents a test aimed at determining the presence of a specific immune response after the introduction of tuberculin into the body. This is an extract from the destroyed Koch sticks, which cause tuberculosis. It does not contain toxins. The presence of a pronounced skin reaction indicates that the body is actively fighting the causative agent of the disease.
Diagnostic goals:
- identification of children with tuberculosis;
- detection of children infected with mycobacteria;
- selection of children for revaccination.
Note! The test is done once a year, starting from the first year of life.
To conduct the test, an intradermal injection is made. After 3 days, the doctor measures the diameter of the papule formed. The size of the lump is measured only, not the redness of the skin around it. The more tuberculosis bacteria in the body, the more the human immune system reacts, the larger the papule will be.
Typical Mantoux reaction
Important! The Mantoux reaction is not a vaccine. If, for some reason, the child is exempt from vaccination, the Mantoux test should still be done.
There are cases when the test is carried out 2 times a year:
- children who have not been vaccinated against tuberculosis;
- children who are in direct contact with the patient;
- children from risk groups based on the results of tuberculin diagnostics or children with certain diseases: diabetes mellitus, diseases of the blood system, HIV-infected;
- children living in unfavorable social conditions.
Such frequent diagnostics does not pose any danger to the child's body, because an insignificant amount of tuberculin is injected into it.
Body reaction
The body's reaction to the introduction of tuberculin into it is similar to an allergic one. This is why certain allergic diseases affect the test result. The reaction will not be reliable if a person has a skin disease, acute or chronic pathology, epilepsy.
The Mantoux reaction is like this:
- Negative. The child after the intradermal injection does not have any redness or reaction at all. A negative reaction means that the bacteria have never entered the body. This phenomenon happens if the child has a very weakened immune system, or the infection took place within the last 2.5 months.
Negative reaction
- Doubtful. Only redness is recorded on the skin, or a seal does not exceed 4 mm in size.
- Positive. The seal on the skin has a size of 5 to 16 mm. This answer suggests that the person has immunity against the disease.
- Hyperergic. It happens if the diameter of the papule exceeds 17 mm, or there are ulcers and redness at the injection site. Such a reaction suggests that the body is infected with tuberculosis.
Hyperergic reaction
Contraindications
Contraindications to this study:
- acute, chronic infectious diseases;
- somatic diseases during an exacerbation;
- acute and subacute allergic diseases;
- pneumonia;
- chicken pox;
Chickenpox in a child
- pyelonephritis;
- stomatitis;
- asthma;
- mononucleosis;
- inflammation of the conjunctiva.
Attention! With epilepsy, Mantoux is strictly contraindicated. It can provoke an epileptic seizure.
If quarantine is declared in a preschool institution, then after its completion and before the diagnosis is carried out, at least two weeks must pass.
Sometimes there may be an individual intolerance to tuberculin by the body. In this case, the reaction is carried out, however, a reduced amount of tuberculin units is introduced into the body. If your child is vaccinated against tetanus, you need to wait a month.
Before taking a sample, you must measure your body temperature. Mantoux should be postponed if the temperature is elevated, and check if the baby has a sore throat.
The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
In children, runny nose occurs quite often. It has a different nature: it occurs as a result of a cold or an allergen entering the body. It is possible to understand whether Mantoux is allowed with a cold in a child after determining the nature of the inflammation of the nasal mucosa.
Doctor Komarovsky believes that it is not worth doing Mantoux at a time when the baby has a runny nose. With rhinitis of an allergic nature, you need to schedule the diagnosis for another period of the year.
Important! If the child has a year-round cough, sneezing and snot, but there is no fever, the test can be done.
If the doctor diagnosed the child with an infectious disease, then the sample should be postponed for the recommended period.
Runny nose in a child
Dr. Komarovsky explains that the administration of tuberculin to a child with an infectious disease is not dangerous. However, it will show incorrect results. In case of an infectious disease, the body accumulates all the forces for complete recovery. In order not to interfere with him, it makes sense to wait with the diagnosis.
Komarovsky warns that in no case should this important diagnostic procedure be neglected. An unfavorable epidemic situation with regard to tuberculosis remains in Russia. That is why diagnostics must be done every year, and preferably at the same time.
Is it possible to do with a cold
The question "is it possible to do Mantoux for a child with a cold" worries many parents. Doctors say that it is not worth carrying out such a diagnostic test during a cold.
This is not only due to inaccurate results. The child has an increased risk of complications associated with an acute respiratory illness. The body's defenses weaken, and it cannot cope with viruses.
To the question “can a child with snot be made Mantoux”, doctors answer positively. However, it will not be useful. Mantoux is not an accurate way to determine the presence of tuberculosis bacteria in the body. The presence of viruses in the body will complicate the diagnosis. The child can have both positive and negative reactions.
When Mantoux is done after a cold
The duration of the delay depends on the nature of the disease and the stage of its development. The maximum respite from a cold is one month. If the child develops pneumonia against the background of a cold, then you must wait 2 months. With chickenpox, the diagnosis of a baby is postponed for a maximum of six months. Failure to comply with these recommendations leads to incorrect examination results.
Possible complications
This procedure is associated with the following complications:
- increased body temperature;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- pain in the head area;
- general weakness;
- severe itching at the injection site;
- severe allergic reaction;
Allergy to Mantoux
- cough.
Adverse reactions appear most often due to vitamin deficiency, general weakness of the body and an unfavorable genetic predisposition. An undesirable reaction of the body also occurs in response to an incorrect dose selection.
If you put Mantoux during a cold, there may be such side reactions:
- a sharp increase in body temperature up to 39 degrees;
- the appearance of a large red spot;
- a sharp decrease in appetite.
You should immediately contact a phthisiatrician in such cases:
- if a positive test appeared for the first time after a negative one;
- if it has increased by more than 6 mm, within one year or gradually over several years;
- if for the first time a large infiltration of more than 17 mm was found in a child.
Important! The examination of children should be carried out in the conditions of an anti-tuberculosis dispensary.
The insidiousness and danger of tuberculosis, its high prevalence make it necessary to constantly examine children. The Mantoux reaction is a highly effective method for diagnosing this serious infectious disease. In case of colds, it is recommended to refrain from vaccination for a while. It is impossible to completely abandon the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Mantoux is the simplest way to detect a disease when it is showing no symptoms.
