What's the PPD test like?!
Question: Does it hurt?
Answers: Does it hurt?
It's actually really simple and generally pain free. They use the smallest needle size there is and inject a pea sized amount of fluid just under the skin. This fluid is absorbed by your body, and usually does not come back (unless you have TB or are a carrier). You'll have to go back to the Dr. within 48 hours so they can check to make sure the bump has not come back. If it does, further tests will be done (ie: chest xray). Honestly, it really doesn't hurt at all (and I'm a baby when it comes to needles). You'll be fine. GOOD LUCK :)
It's a very tiny little needle stick. There's a little pressure, as with any injection, but for me it wasn't particularly painful.
The tuberculosis skin test (also known as the tuberculin or PPD test) is a test used to determine if someone has developed an immune response to the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). This response can occur if someone currently has TB or if they were exposed to it in the past. The tuberculin skin test is based on the fact that infection with M. tuberculosis produces a delayed-type hypersensitivity skin reaction to certain components of the bacterium. The components of the organism are contained in extracts of culture filtrates and are the core elements of the classic tuberculin PPD (also known as purified protein derivative). This PPD material is used for skin testing for tuberculosis. Reaction in the skin to tuberculin PPD begins when specialized immune cells, called T cells, which have been sensitized by prior infection, are recruited by the immune system to the skin site where they release chemical messengers called lymphokines. These lymphokines induce induration (a hard, raised area with clearly defined margins at and around the injection site) through local vasodilation edema, fibrin deposition, and recruitment of other inflammatory cells to the area.
The standard recommended tuberculin test is administered by injecting 0.1mL of 5 TU (tuberculin units) PPD into the top layers of skin (intradermally, immediately under the surface of the skin) of the forearm. The use of a skin area that is free of lesions and away from veins is recommended. The injection is typically made using a one-quarter to one-half inch, 27-guage needle and a tuberculin syringe. The tuberculin PPD is injected just beneath the surface of the skin. A discrete, pale elevation of the skin (a wheal) 6 to 10 mm in diameter should be produced when the injection is done correctly. This wheal or "bleb" is generally quickly absorbed. If it is recognized that the first test was improperly administered, another test can be given at once, selecting a site several centimeters away from the original injection.
Hope this helps! For more info visit:http://www.medicinenet.com/tuberculosis_...