Say AHHHHH
As the cold and flu season nears, doctor’s offices become very busy. Everyone wants a quick diagnosis and many patients want an antibiotic even though most winter illnesses are viral in origin and not bacterial.
Accurately diagnosing viruses and cold and flu bugs has always been difficult and many patients never like it when they are told it is viral and antibiotics won’t help. They are skeptical because of not having an objective lab that validates the clinician’s diagnosis.
With that in mind, there is a new test available called the xTAG respiratory panel. This test can precisely diagnose a dozen winter ailments and reduce unneeded use of antibiotics. It is said to be the most accurate and the most comprehensive available.
It was approved earlier this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and it tests for a dozen viruses, including several types of influenza, two types of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, three types of parainfluenza, adenovirus and even rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.
These particular viruses account for about 85% of the viral illnesses in the U.S. during this time of year.
The test requires a swab from the nose or throat and this is sent out to the reference lab. The studies so far show the test detects each virus 78% to 100% of the time, depending on the type, and has few false positives.
All of this sounds great and would certainly help curb the overuse of antibiotics. But like everything, there has to be a downside.
The downside with this test is the cost. The test is very expensive, about $300 to $400, but is covered by most insurers for now. This will likely change as soon as it becomes more widely ordered and would certainly change under a nationalized health system. It also requires extensive processing time in the lab so there will be no quick answer for patients. It could take 1-2 days to get the results.
Accurately diagnosing viruses and cold and flu bugs has always been difficult and many patients never like it when they are told it is viral and antibiotics won’t help. They are skeptical because of not having an objective lab that validates the clinician’s diagnosis.
With that in mind, there is a new test available called the xTAG respiratory panel. This test can precisely diagnose a dozen winter ailments and reduce unneeded use of antibiotics. It is said to be the most accurate and the most comprehensive available.
It was approved earlier this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and it tests for a dozen viruses, including several types of influenza, two types of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, three types of parainfluenza, adenovirus and even rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.
These particular viruses account for about 85% of the viral illnesses in the U.S. during this time of year.
The test requires a swab from the nose or throat and this is sent out to the reference lab. The studies so far show the test detects each virus 78% to 100% of the time, depending on the type, and has few false positives.
All of this sounds great and would certainly help curb the overuse of antibiotics. But like everything, there has to be a downside.
The downside with this test is the cost. The test is very expensive, about $300 to $400, but is covered by most insurers for now. This will likely change as soon as it becomes more widely ordered and would certainly change under a nationalized health system. It also requires extensive processing time in the lab so there will be no quick answer for patients. It could take 1-2 days to get the results.
Labels: common cold, flu, testing
posted by Anonymous at 5:30 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home