Tuberculosis secondary prevention

Secondary prevention for tuberculosis refers to the methods that are used for screening and early diagnosis, such as tuberculin skin test (TST) and IGRAs; as well as ensuring that the right treatment regimen is given at the right time to prevent disease progression.

• Evaluation of children who are having close contact with a confirmed case of TB.
• TST is the test of choice for screening for TB infection.

• IGRA can be used in place of (but not in addition to) TST in screening for M. tuberculosis infection in the following conditions:^[1]

• A patient has received BCG vaccination
• Groups with poor follow up return for TST reading

• TST is favored over IGRA for TB screening due to its low cost and high availability^[2]

• Early diagnosis of tuberculosis disease is essential to give the right treatment at the appropriate time and prevent complications.
• All patients should be routinely asked about:^[3]

• History of TB exposure, infection, or disease
• Symptoms or signs of TB disease
• Medical conditions that increase their risk for TB disease

• Patients with the following characteristics should be tested for tuberculosis:^[3]

• Cough for ≥3 weeks
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Night sweats
• Hemoptysis
• Hoarseness
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Patient from an endemic area of TB

• Empiric therapy should be started once the diagnosis of TB is confirmed.
• Sputum specimens should be sent for culture and DST before initiation of therapy

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