Study Finds Current Practices For Detecting Latent TB Infection May Be Missing High-Risk Patients

Healio (1/24, Stulpin) reports, “Current practices for latent tuberculosis infection testing may be missing high-risk patients, according to a study assessing factors associated with testing and positivity, researchers said” in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Investigators “found that factors most associated with testing positive for LTBI were not the same as the factors associated with LTBI testing. For example, the study showed that factors associated with higher odds of testing positive included being male, Asian/Pacific Islander, currently smoking, having diabetes, hepatitis B or hepatitis C and birth in a country with an elevated TB rate, none of which were associated with higher odds of LTBI testing.”