I just found out I got a positive result on the quantiferon gold test as I was completing the prematriculation checklist fot the med school I was planning to attend ... and now my pmd says I need a 9 month treatment program. This was quite the scare and bummer and I am now worried if it will do anything to my education. I plan on getting started on the meds asap ... should I be concerned at all regarding what the school would do if they see my results and what should I do at this point? Thanks... it just really sucks because I don't know where this even came from :/
Tested positive for TB... help please
- Thread starter Jdrill
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I looked into this a little when I was applying bc I found out I had a positive quantiferon gold when I started hospital volunteering. I asked schools where I was applying if they would require me to do the 9 month course of meds and no one said I would need to do that. The consensus was that I could choose the meds or get chest x rays and show, annually, that I don't have active TB. I did consider the meds but my doctor went through a bunch of data with me and we calculated that my risk of hepatitis from doing the meds was far greater than my risk of developing active TB.
So I would first ask the school what they need and then explore with your doctor whether you really need the meds if the school does not require them.
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I don't think it really does anything. I think some people in my class tested positive and took the long course of antibiotics, or you might be able to do the chest x-rays to show that it's not active. It's a pain and a stressor though for sure!
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Calm down. You're not the only med student who has tested positive. What happens when you get treatment? You can't drink for 9 months and you'll have to have chest x-rays anytime someone wants you to have a TB test for the rest of your life. In no way does the treatment affect your education....unless you become an active TB patient.
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Did you ever get a BCG (TB vaccine)? They don't give them in the US but they do in other countries. I had one of those and my TB tests would always show up positive... frickin delayed my hospital volunteering by a year b/c of that. Annoying as hell because everytime I moved and tried to volunteer at a new hospital, they all thought I had TB and didn't know how a vaccine worked (not everyone who works in a hospital knows bio). Had to get X-rays every time.
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I think the quantiferon gold test takes BCG into account. You might be referring to the skin PPD, which does give a false positive for people with the BCG vaccine.
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I would actually suggest having the test being done twice as opposed to once and also at a different location. If your PPD comes out negative each time, you may also share your concern with your physician who may be more aware of BCG and interferon testing.
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You need a new PMD. There is an INH and rifapentine regimen that is 1x/week for 12 weeks. Easy.
I know lots of med students/residents/attendings who have had positive quantiferons. Whether from doing medical missions abroad, florid active TB patients at work, or whatever. It's not a big deal. Take your meds (and please go see ID rather than a PCP), get CXRs whenever someone wants one, and go on with your life.
