allergy to ppd injection?

06/21/08

joex32002

Hi,

I'm a health care worker who has had to get PPDs for years now. At my old institution they used a PPD solution which gave me increasingly larger responses (they looked like huge mosquito bites and itched liked crazy - at its worst it was around 8 cm in diameter!) These were all read as negative for tb exposure because there was no "true induration." Later on I was told I had an allergy to something in the cocktail and so they switched me to Tubersol. It worked miracles, my first few PPDs had zero reaction. However, that was a few years back and now at my new hospital they say they also use Tubersol - but this time I got a 3 cm reaction with very mild itch.

Here's some other Hx: I have had hives twice in my life to temperature changes. I do have a family Hx of eczema and atopy. And I'm also VERY allergic to mosquito bites (similar reaction - HUGE wheals that last for 2 weeks and are extrememly itchy). Sigh - my skin sucks. Help?

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Answers (2)

Friday, June 27, 2008

Kathleen MacNaughton

Hi Joe,

I'm not sure exactly what your question is here, but I'll try to answer what I think you're asking. It is possible for any one person to be allergic to almost anything. Although there are common things that many people tend to be allergic to, there are also other substances that only cause a few people to react. Who can tell for sure? Despite great advances in science's understanding of body physiology, our bodies are still quite mysterious in many ways.

So, it's entirely possible that you are allergic to some ingredient being used in the PPD injection. And even if your new employer is still using Tubersol, as they tell you, they might be using a different brand. According to Drugs.com Tubersol is sold under 2 brand names: Tubersol and Aplisol. Also, drug manufacturers can change the inactive ingredients in a solution from time to time, so that could be another reason why you are now reacting when you didn't in the past.

I would probably consult your personal physician for alternatives that will be safe for you. You never want to use something you know causes an allergic reaction, as it is possible that if you keep exposing yourself to it, at some point it could result in an anaphylactic reaction that could be life-threatening.

To your health,

Kathi