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PubMed · 16649324

Tuberculosis screening in a dialysis program.

L Ballantine
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Abstract

Patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are at high risk for contracting tuberculosis (TB), therefore, routine screening of these patients is recommended This article describes the steps used to design and implement a TB screening protocol in a new regional dialysis program. The results showed a high rate of skin test positivity and, therefore, of infection. Over half of the patients tested were found to be anergic, necessitating a chest x-ray for 70% of the patients. In light of these findings, the annual skin testing of all patients, which was originally planned, has been changed to testing upon admission to the program, providing a baseline with which to compare subsequent skin tests.

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AlgorithmsClinical ProtocolsContact TracingDecision TreesHealth Services Needs and DemandHumansImmunocompromised HostImmunosuppression TherapyKidney Failure, ChronicMass ScreeningOntarioOrganizational ObjectivesPatient SelectionProgram DevelopmentProgram EvaluationRenal DialysisRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsTuberculin TestTuberculosisEvaluation StudyJournal Article

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L Ballantine. 2000. Tuberculosis screening in a dialysis program.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16649324/

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