TB Testing Clinic Q&A

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium mycobacterium tuberculosis infecting the lungs and other vital structures within the body. It is an airborne disease, usually disseminated when someone who is already infected coughs or sneezes around a non-infected person. While the disease itself doesn’t spread particularly easily, you can contract it by spending a lot of time near a person with an active pulmonary infection.

The good news is, most people with a healthy immune system that breathe in TB bacteria are able to fight the bacterium, causing it to become inactive. This will result in a latent TB infection that doesn’t present signs or symptoms.

While people with inactive TB do not exhibit symptoms, those with active cases may display the one or more of the following symptoms:

– A serious cough that lasts longer than 2 weeks.
– Chest pain.
– Chills.
– Coughing up mucus or blood.
– Fatigue and/or weakness.
– Fever.
– Loss of appetite.
– Night sweats.
– Weight loss.

If you’re presenting any of these symptoms, you may want to consult your physician about getting tested. You should also consider getting tested for TB if you live or work in a high-risk area, if you’ve recently been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with TB, if you have a weak immune system, if you’ve injected recreational drugs, or if it is recommended by your healthcare provider.

You may also want to get tested for TB if you’re experiencing signs and are also at higher risk for developing complications. This includes people with:

– Chronic illness.
– Compromised or undeveloped immune systems.
– Diabetes
– Immune system disorders and/or those who are receiving treatment for their disorder.
– Kidney disease
– Organ transplants.

There are two kinds of tests for Tuberculosis: the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) blood test.

For a TST, your healthcare provider will inject a tiny amount of purified protein derivative (PPD) under the skin of your forearm. After 48-72 hours, you must return to the healthcare provider who will then examine the injection site to see if there was a reaction. A reaction is indicative of a positive result.

In contrast, the IGRA requires your healthcare provider to draw a blood sample and then send it to the lab.

Once your sample has been analyzed, the results will be sent back to your doctor and conveyed to you.
Additional testing may be required to determine if your infection is active and/or if your lungs are compromised. These tests may include lab tests on your sputum and lung fluid, chest X-rays, and/or computed tomography (CT) scans.

It takes 2-3 days to get results from a tuberculin skin test, while the results of a blood test are typically given within 1-2 days. However, blood tests may take longer depending on how quickly the lab can get to analyzing your sample.

If you’re looking for a safe and professional medical facility to get tested for TB, look no further than Columbia Clinic Urgent Care. We offer efficient testing to get you the results you need and comprehensive treatment should the results come back positive. For more information, please contact us or request an appointment online. We serve patients from Tibbetts St Portland, Milwaukie OR, Oak Grove OR, Stark Street Portland, Fairview OR, Happy Valley OR, Gladstone OR, Cedar Mill OR, Tibbetts Street Portland OR, West Linn OR, Aloha OR, Tigard OR, Lake Oswego OR, Tualatin OR, Oregon City OR, and surrounding areas. We also accept walk-ins.