Latent Tuberculosis – Most Common Dilemmas Or Who Asked for Quantiferon?

ABSTRACT

Due to the increasing use of immunosuppressants, particularly biological therapy, as well as HIV epidemics, latent tuberculosis (LTBI) is being activated, and this disease, which had been rather forgotten in the Western world, is becoming a topical issue in the recent years. Numerous categories of patients should be tested for latent tuberculosis, using PPD or IGRA tests. Interpreting test results is a very touchy issue, since it is the way to determine therapy of latent TB, that is, to decide on chemoprophylaxis. For the last two years, during the Covid-19 pandemics, large percentage of patients received high doses of corticosteroid and other types of immunosuppressant therapies, and it is therefore necessary to consider the potential risks for these patients, in terms of contracting tuberculosis and perhaps testing them for LTBI. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Usled sve šire upotrebe imunosupresivne, posebno biološke terapije i epidemije HIV-a, a usled aktivacije latentne tuberkuloze (LTBI), ova, pomalo zaboravljena bolest u zapadnom svetu postaje poslednjih godina veoma aktuelna. Postoji veliki broj kategorija bolesnika koje treba testirati na latentnu tuberkulozu, PPD ili IGRA testovima. Tumačenje ovih testova je veoma delikatno jer se na osnovu njega donosi odluka o sprovođenju terapije latentne tuberkuloze, odnosno hemioprofilaksi. Poslednje dve godine, u toku pandemije kovid-19, ogroman procenat pacijenata primao je visoke doze kortikosteroidne i druge imunosupresivne terapije, te je neophodno u narednom periodu razmišljati i o potencijalnim rizicima koje bi ovi bolesnici mogli imati, u smislu obolevanja od tuberkuloze i potencijalno sprovesti testiranje na LTBI. (Croatian) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Medicinski Glasnik / Medical Gazette is the property of Specijalna bolnica za bolesti stitaste zlezde i bolesti metabolizma Zlatibor and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)