As with many new studies, the cost of the quantiferon gold test is generally greater than the PPD test. I therefore initially questioned whether this test, which appeared to be less cost-effective, should be more widely used and I first used it only as a second level test, just to verify a positive PPD.Skin test false positives was one issue
several of my previously PPD- positive patients who had already undergone prophylaxis for latent TB requested the test and felt very vindicated to discover that their quantiferon gold test was indeed negative.so it was no wonder that
It also has become quite clear that patients prefer this test over the PPD.However it was the peer reviewed studies that turned him
More recently however, the quantiferon gold test has been positioned as an alternative first-line approach for the screening of tuberculosis (rather than as a back-up if patients have a positive PPD) in the pulmonary literature.And now?
The advantages of the quantiferon gold assay have prompted me to switch my patients on immunosuppressive therapies to baseline and annual quantiferon gold screenings. This has been good for both me and my patients.His advice to other doctors?
Do consider checking with the labs that you use about whether this test is available to your patients, and if so, I strongly recommend that you consider using it for your patient monitoring.
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*Dr. Van Voorhees is Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania Health System and Director of its Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center.
