MT Test

Tuberculosis or TB is an extremely contagious disease, where on exposure, you may develop latent or active TB. The MT test or the Mantoux test is used by all doctors to effectively determine if the patient is infected with TB and would then prescribe an effective course of treatment for the same. If you find yourself experiencing the following symptoms, then you need to consult your doctor right away since TB, when left untreated, can turn out to be both debilitating and fatal as well. Some of the symptoms associated with TB are –

• Fatigue
• Difficulty breathing
• Inability to draw in deep breath
• Pain and discomfort when breathing
• Loss of appetite

You need to consult with your doctor right away and on confirmation that you are indeed affected with TB, you may need to get hospitalized or opt for an outpatient care, provided you take adequate precautions. TB is extremely dangerous, more so as it is an airborne pathogen.

Your doctor, would first assess your current condition, review your profile and would recommend that a Mantoux test (MT) be carried out right away to assess whether you have been infected or not. The test results should make it clear if you are infected with TB, after which your physician may recommend hospitalization as well as run additional tests to ensure that your treatment is effective in controlling and treating the disease.

This test is mainly used to determine whether you have been infected with Tuberculosis or not; this test is often utilized as one of the first tier of tests to confirm a diagnosis of TB. With early diagnosis, you should be able to get treated for the same effectively.

Your doctor would require you to disrobe after which either he or a technician would administer a small injection to your left arm. The injection would be a fluid, which would be injected just under the skin. This should result in you developing a small bump in your left arm; you would be required to report two to three days post the initial injection. The technician would review the injected site and if the bump had disappeared altogether, then you do not have Tuberculosis. However, if there is a reaction and a small bump/ blister appears on your left arm, of about ten millimeters or more, then that is taken as a positive indication for TB. Your doctor would recommend a course of antibiotics to help treat your condition. It is vital that you get yourself checked out at the earliest so that you can get diagnosed early on and get treated for the same, while TB is still in its initial stages.