PPD Test

Urgent Care located in Winston Salem, NC

PPD Test services offered in Winston Salem, NC

A purified protein derivative (PPD) test is quick. Many schools and employers require this test for new students and workers. At Doctor’s Own Urgent Care in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Trent Dietsche, DO, and the staff provide on-site PPD tests to people of all ages. Call Doctor’s Own Urgent Care today to schedule a PPD test, or book your visit online. Walk-in and telehealth visits are also available.

What is a PPD test?

A purified protein derivative (PPD) test screens for tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a severe respiratory illness spread by highly contagious bacteria.

Some people with tuberculosis get sick right away, but for others, the infection lives dormant inside their bodies for years. A dormant infection presents no symptoms, which is why screening is so important.

Doctor’s Own Urgent Care encourages you to schedule a PPD test if you:

Have been exposed to someone with tuberculosis
Work in healthcare
Are starting a new job that requires a tuberculosis screening
Have a weakened immune system due to medications or illness

The test is quick and painless and results typically return from the lab in 48-72 hours.

How do I prepare for a PPD test?

A PPD test doesn’t require special preparation. Tell your provider if you have a medical condition or take certain medications, like steroids, that affect your immune system. These factors can impact your test results. Likewise, tell them if you’ve ever received a positive result on a previous PPD test. If so, you likely won’t need to undergo testing again.

What does a PPD test involve?

A PPD test is quick –– it typically takes 10 minutes or less.

Your Doctor’s Own Urgent Care provider cleans an area of skin on the side of your forearm and then injects a small amount of purified protein derivative (PPD) into it. Once the PPD enters your body, it causes the treatment site to swell, forming a small welt.

You return to Doctor’s Own Urgent Care two or three days later. Your provider examines the treatment site to assess the severity of your body’s reaction.

How does a PPD test determine if I have tuberculosis?

A negative test result means you haven’t been exposed to tuberculosis bacteria. With a negative reaction, your skin doesn’t swell. Or, if it does, the welt is very small (less than five millimeters).

A positive test result means you have been exposed to tuberculosis bacteria. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean the infection is active. A welt that’s five millimeters or larger is considered positive in people with weakened immune systems. A welt of 10 millimeters or larger is considered a positive result in people with healthy immune systems.

If your PPD test comes back with a positive result, don’t panic. Taking a six to nine-month course of antibiotics can clear the infection and prevent spreading it to others.

Call Doctor’s Own Urgent Care to schedule a PPD test, or book your appointment online today.