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+Tuberculosis Skin Test-PPD Test

Discussion in 'Health Issues' started by meghanshu, Sep 22, 2007.

  1. meghanshu

    meghanshu New IL'ite

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    Hi All,

    We live in U.S-Maryland and my daughter had a 4 year check up ,her pediatric suggested to go for a PPD test as she was never tested for the same. Well unfortunately it came positive then her doctor suggested for an X-ray and blood Test which were perfectly normal . Which we were greatly relived but since her PPD test was positive that is her skin test was positive doctors here in U.S is prescribing her 9 months medication . They are insisting for this 9 Mths treatment which i think is insane.
    According to them 70 % Indian population PPD Test comes positive as compare to U.S and any person who has got a skin test positive has to go thru it. We all know that the treatment for Tuberculosis has got some side effects on your Liver but inspite of all this we have been suggested this.

    My Daughter is absolutely normal and healthy child with excellent growth which her pediatric too agrees but then why do we have to go thru this. I even took an advice from a pediatric from India and he too said thats its very common in India and we never advice for any treatment untill further test are done which is in later date when kids grow up.

    I want to know if any parents who are not staying in India have gone thru this for their kids and were they given the same choice and what they did. Pls reply to this thread and help.

    Worried Mother

    :cry:
     
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  2. Abha

    Abha Bronze IL'ite

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    Hi there

    I had to go through this test to apply for a volunteer job... but by chance my skin test itself came out negative... Doctor told me that is the skin test is positive for Indians (because ours is not a very clean country and stuff, which was soooo stupid and disgusting), which on no grounds proves that we have TB... so just to be very sure... we go for X-ray which then clearly shows no sign of TB... and this X-ray is the final test then...

    So I dont understand if the X-ray was normal then why do they want to go in for this so called treatment... Take a second opinion from another doctor whom who can trust more.

    ~Abha
     
  3. meghanshu

    meghanshu New IL'ite

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    Hi Abha,

    Thanks for your reply. U feel so horrible the way doctors put up here . I've decided to go for a second opinion from a desi doctor .

    Thanks once again

    Megha
     
  4. asks

    asks New IL'ite

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    hi,
    don't worry. in india as soon as the child is born, they give "BCG" vaccine for tb, so till the kid is 5 years whenever u do the skin test, it will come positive.
    For my son same thing happened, he was born in india and was given bcg.so here when they did the skin test it came positive and they did the x-ray aswell. and eventhough it was a indian doctor (america born) she prescribed 9 months medicine. but again i think parents can decide whether they can give the medication or not. so i put my foot down n said will not accept this medication. the doc was not happy, so then later i changed the doctor.finally i didn't give the medication, so if u don't want to give the medication no body can do anything. if the child is sick n u don't give the medicine then its wrong. but that is not the case here and this medication is just a precaution. so u decide, if u don't want to give it just say that to the doctor. i also feel the same, it will have side effects.
    take care
    asks
     
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  5. meghanshu

    meghanshu New IL'ite

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    hi,

    Thanks for your reply . My daughter was born in Dubai so i don't think she has got a BCG but i'll double chk her records. I chked with a doctor in India and he said that u need to get her PCR test(pulmonary chain reaction)done to determine whether she needs to be treated or not. I'm fighting with our insurance to cover the same as its a very expensive test and as such i'm not in any hurry to go for a treatment as the doctor herself admitted that my child is healthy and this is just precautionary measure So i'm keeping my cool.

    Anyway thanks for your reply and i hope more people read this thread and do the right thing for their child.

    Meghanshu
     
  6. RenukaN

    RenukaN New IL'ite

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    Hello,
    I am Renuka from California, I am in the same situation as you were. My child born Indian and BCG given. TB PPD Skin test is positive to her, but here X-ray is clear and she does not have active TB. Here doctor insisting to Isoniazed medicate for 9 months. We are not interested in medication. I am glad to see you message we can choose to go with medication or not.
    If we don't medicate, do we have any other problems like admitting to school. Our child schoold needs TB test done. How do we go about. I am another worried mother anticipating suggestion.
     
  7. Vidya24

    Vidya24 Gold IL'ite

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    Hi all moms,

    I do not know much about this issue in particular. But I worked on TB intervention measures. And I learnt that TB medication usually with antibiotics is not very easy on children or adults. Please check with a good tropical infections specialist in India about this.

    Please check with a doctor in India since they are more used to dealing with a large volume of such cases. Docs is the US may not have as much experience in cases like this.

    regards
    Vidya
     
  8. shalusaini

    shalusaini New IL'ite

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    hi
    my 2year old son was also tested positive for PPD . but when i contacted to his doctor in India , he told us that this is normal . he said that there r so many so T.B cases in India that a normal healthy person lso hav some bacterias . he said that since my son´s vaccination was on time so there is nothing to worry. doc in sweden says he is healthy and he has no chest ,throat and nose infection but insist for medication . but we r not going for it .
    Actually i do not trust these doctors. my son had stocmach pain for 3 days , i tried all home remedies but when there was no relief and it was increasing i went to doc. the doc said he hav cramps and there is no medecines for this. he told me to came on next workin day and that was after 3 days. so i contacted indian doc and he prescribed one medicine and thankfully my friend had that. he was normal after some hours.

    Shalu

     
  9. meghanshu

    meghanshu New IL'ite

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    Hi,

    Good to hear from you. I have not done any treatment for my daughter. we consulted one of indian doctors and he advised that if someone has got BCG then that person will be have positive PPD. Also i'm in India so I 'm taking second opinion and will let you know as soon as i'm back . But do not take the treatment as your child is healthy.

    soon,

    Meghanshu
     
  10. Amitha

    Amitha Senior IL'ite

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    Meghanshu,

    Don't worry about the skin test coming positive. Almost all Indians will have a positive skin test for TB. It just means that the TB bacteria is there in the person and if anything happens to trigger the TB, chances are high for the person to get TB. This does not mean the person who has tested positive has TB.

    Here they give medicine to prevent the person from getting TB in future - you can say, like Vaccinations. But this medicine is given for a long duration of time, i.e., 9 months. It is completely upto the parents to decide whether to give medicine for their child or not. My son's pediatrician was very upset when we told her that we will not give the medicines what she prescribed. But we didn't bother. He is just a healthy child - why should we give medicine unnecessarily for 9 months.

    In the mean time I spoke to his pediatrician in India and he said that this is completely normal for the skin test to come positive. He very clearly told NOT to give medicine wheatever they prescribed.

    Regarding getting admission in school, if you get the chest X-ray done and get a certificate from the pediatrician that the X-ray is normal, produce the same to the school, it is fine. No need of anyother documents.

    Anyway when you come back from India, tell us what the Indian doctor told.

    Amitha
     

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