IGRA Tests vs TST in Children
Author Information
Author(s): Esko Tavast, Eeva Salo, Ilkka Seppälä, Tamara Tuuminen
Primary Institution: University of Helsinki
Hypothesis
How do IGRA tests compare to TST in diagnosing tuberculosis in children?
Conclusion
IGRA methods are effective alternatives to TST without causing adverse reactions.
Supporting Evidence
- Both IGRA tests showed high sensitivity and specificity compared to TST.
- QuantiFERON TB Gold had a sensitivity of 0.92 and specificity of 0.91.
- T SPOT-TB had a sensitivity of 0.85 and specificity of 1.00.
- Agreement between the two IGRA tests was high with a kappa value of 0.89.
- Both IGRA methods avoided the adverse reactions associated with TST.
Takeaway
This study shows that new blood tests for tuberculosis work just as well as the old skin test but don't cause bad reactions.
Methodology
Retrospective non-blinded study comparing IGRA tests with TST in children.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the non-blinded nature of the study.
Limitations
The study is retrospective and non-blinded, which may introduce bias.
Participant Demographics
Children aged 0-18 years, with a majority being male and many from countries with endemic TB.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
0.67–0.99 for sensitivity of QuantiFERON, 0.64–0.95 for T SPOT-TB.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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