ABSTRACT
Objectives: To investigate the clinical value of T-SPOT.TB technology (γ-interferon release assay for tuberculosis (TB) infection in the diagnosis of TB in elderly patients.
Methods: One-hundred forty out patients and in patients diagnosed with TB in our hospital from February 2013 to February 2014 were classified into a young adult group or an elderly group. Patients in both groups underwent peripheral blood T-SPOT.TB tests and the purified protein derivative test (tuberculin test), and the results were analyzed.
Results: The T-SPOT. TB test positive rate in the young patient group was 90.3%, significantly higher than the PPD test positive rate of 63.9%. Similarly, the T-SPOT.TB positive rate in the elderly group was also significantly higher than the PPD test positive rate (88.2%vs. 39.7%).When these two detection methods were compared, T-SPOT.TB had a significantly higher detection rate than the PPD test in both the young adult group and the elderly group. The difference was statistically significant in both groups and was especially pronounced in the elderly group.
Conclusions: As a new diagnostic technique, the T-SPOT.TB demonstrated good value in the clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis in the elderly group.
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