Abstract

BRAGA, José Ueleres et al. Agreement between skin reactions to two skin tests commercialized in Brazil. Inf. Epidemiol. Sus [online]. 2000, vol.9, n.3, pp.179-187. ISSN 0104-1673.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S0104-16732000000300003.

This study aims to assess the agreement between skin reactions due to the Statens Serum Institut PPD and the Pimenta Abreu Laboratory PPD commercial tuberculin skin tests. Estimates of: a) the qualitative outcome agreement between the products; b) the agreement between quantitative measures of the cutaneous induration due to the tests and c) the probability of the skin measures differences be greater than three millimeters, were obtained. Two hundred subjects mainly men with average age of 54 years were included in the study. Seventy five percent (155) of them were homeless from the Fundação Leão XXIII and twenty five percent (45) were tuberculosis patients from the Hospital Ari Parreiras. The kappa coefficient estimated for three outcome categories (non-reactor, weak reactor and strong reactor) was of 3.4% indicating a low agreement level. The kappa coefficient for non-reactors and reactors was of 5.5%. The comparison analysis for the induration measures yielded an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.247 and of 0.096 for the Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient for agreement. The probability of a three millimeters induration measure difference was above 91%. All these three approaches indicate the same conclusion: a low agreement between these commercial products.

Keywords : Tuberculin Skin Test; Reproducibility of Results; Tuberculosis.

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