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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1993 May;83(5):749–751. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.5.749

Anergy compromises screening for tuberculosis in high-risk populations.

S R Zoloth 1, S Safyer 1, J Rosen 1, D Michaels 1, P Alcabes 1, E Bellin 1, C Braslow 1
PMCID: PMC1694677  PMID: 8484464

Abstract

Anergy may occur in groups at high risk for tuberculosis, compromising tuberculin skin testing. Within New York City's correctional system, anergy prevalence was 25% among opiate users referred to detoxification programs and 3% in the general population. Correlates of anergy were recent weight loss and needle sharing. The high prevalence of anergy among opiate users compromises the utility of tuberculosis screening and suggests the need for routine chest x-rays to detect pulmonary tuberculosis in some high-risk-populations.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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