In my post about Pneumonitis cause, symptoms and treatment in children, I have mentioned that I will take my little boy to have a PPD skin test or mantoux test because he is thin, been sick lately for consecutive days and weight is not good at his age. PPD (purified protein derivative) skin test is a method used to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) or primary complex. The photo below is the actual forearm of my little boy where PPD extract was injected. I just marked a red circle at the area.
PPD skin test in children
Using the rubbing alcohol my little boy’s forearm was cleansed then the PPD extract was injected under the top layer of his skin, causing a welt to form on the skin. The welt is gone in a few hours. According to the pediatrician, the reaction will takes 48 – 72 hours to develop so we must return to that time to have the area checked. The test determines if there is a significant reaction to the PPD test that is measured in millimeters of firm swelling (induration) at the area. If the wheal is less than 1cm or no reaction at all, then PPD skin test is negative. This is according to our pediatrician but you should carefully consult your pedia about it. After 72 hours we returned to the pediatrician to have it checked and we are glad that PPD skin test is negative.
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That’s nice to hear Jem, I think I will be needing that skin test for my little boy too. D kc nawawala ung cough nya khit me antibiotic na iniinom, naaalis nga madali nmn bumalik.
Hi Mommy Josie,
Yes it is very important to have PPD skin test to ruled out the possibility of that he might be expose to TB.
My son had that test when he was a year old. He was diagnosed with primary complex. Good thing there are tests like PPD already, because if primary complex isn’t treated early on, it can develop to tuberculosis.
glad that it is negative! 🙂