TB Screening in Sharjah

What is TB screening?

Tuberculosis, usually shortened to TB, is an infection caused by a slow-growing bacterium that mostly affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when someone with active lung TB coughs or talks for long periods in a shared indoor space. Brief contact, such as passing someone in a shop, carries very little risk; hours together in the same room, a shared bedroom or a shared car on a daily commute carry more.

Screening answers two separate questions, and it helps to keep them apart.

• Latent TB means the germ is present in the body but asleep. The person feels well, has a clear chest X-ray and is non-infectious. The germ may stay dormant for life, or wake up years later, especially if the immune system is weakened.
• Active TB means the germ is multiplying and causing illness. Active lung TB is the form that spreads to others, and it needs treatment straight away.

A useful fact many people are surprised by: the skin and blood tests show that the immune system has met the TB germ at some point, and on their own they say nothing about whether the infection is active. The chest X-ray and sputum tests answer that second question.

Who needs it

TB screening is recommended for people with a particular reason to check, including:

• Close household or workplace contacts of someone recently diagnosed with active TB
• People about to start treatments that dampen the immune system, such as some medicines for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease, transplant medicines or chemotherapy
• Healthcare workers and others in caring roles, at the start of employment and after an exposure
• People with a cough lasting more than three weeks, night sweats, weight loss or coughing up blood
• People with diabetes, kidney disease or HIV, where latent TB is more likely to become active
• People who have lived in, or spent long periods in, a region where TB is common

Many people in the UAE first meet the word TB through the chest X-ray done for residence paperwork. That screening is a separate administrative process. The screening described here is a medical assessment focused on your own health and the people you live with.

What happens

The appointment begins with a private conversation with the pulmonologist about symptoms, contacts, travel, past TB tests or treatment, and any medicines that affect immunity. From there, the tests are chosen to fit your situation.

• Skin test. A small amount of test fluid is placed just under the skin of the forearm. The arm is checked a few days later, so this test involves a second short visit.
• Blood test. A single blood sample is taken and sent to the laboratory. It needs one visit and stays accurate in people who have had the BCG vaccine as children, which is why many doctors prefer it for adults. Blood samples are handled through the hospital's laboratory service.
• Chest X-ray. A quick X-ray looks for the signs of active or past TB in the lungs. Where the picture needs more detail, a CT scan may follow, and the chest imaging page explains both.
• Sputum samples. If active TB is suspected, you are given pots to collect phlegm coughed up from deep in the chest, usually first thing in the morning on separate days. The laboratory checks the samples for the TB germ.

Occasionally, when sputum is hard to produce, bronchoscopy is used to collect a sample directly from the airways.

Preparing for it

Preparation is simple. Eat and drink normally and take your usual medicines. Bring a list of those medicines, any previous chest X-rays or CT scans, and records of earlier TB tests, BCG vaccination or TB treatment. Earlier X-rays are especially helpful, because an old healed scar that has stayed the same for years reads very differently from a new change.

If you choose the skin test, plan ahead for the return visit on the day the arm is due to be read. Mention any recent live vaccines, since the timing of some vaccines affects the TB tests. If you are a contact of someone with TB, bring what you know about their diagnosis.

Afterwards

The pulmonologist goes through your results with you and explains what they mean for you and your family.

• All clear: usually no further action, unless a recent exposure means a repeat test is advised later.
• Latent TB: preventive treatment may be offered to stop the germ from waking up. This is a personal decision made with your doctor, weighing age, health and upcoming treatments.
• Active TB: TB is curable, and cure depends on completing the full course of medicines exactly as prescribed, even once you feel better. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah follows UAE public-health procedures for TB, and your doctor explains the next steps, including how close contacts are offered screening.

Everything is handled in confidence and without judgement. TB can affect anyone, and it says nothing about cleanliness or lifestyle.

Call the hospital on 06 599 7777 if you develop a new cough, fever, night sweats or weight loss while waiting for results. Call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department if you cough up more than a small amount of blood or become severely breathless.

Cost and insurance

Many UAE insurance plans cover TB testing when a doctor requests it for symptoms, a known contact or before immune-suppressing treatment, sometimes after pre-approval. Screening requested for employment may be billed differently. The team can help you check your cover before your visit on 06 599 7777.