Popular guidelines / 01/12/2019

What can give a false positive RPR?

Some conditions may cause a false-positive test, including:

IV drug use.
Lyme disease.
Certain types of pneumonia.
Malaria.
Pregnancy.
Systemic lupus erythematosus and some other autoimmune disorders.
Tuberculosis (TB)

How reliable is RPR test?

According to the United States Preventive Services Task Force, the sensitivity of the RPR test is approximately 78% to 86%, while FTA-ABS has a sensitivity of 84% for detecting primary syphilis and 100% for secondary and tertiary syphilis.

Is RPR test only for syphilis?

RPR is not specific to just syphilis. If your RPR test is positive, you will need more tests to confirm that you have syphilis. One of the most common tests used to confirm a syphilis diagnosis is the T. pallidum enzyme immunoassay.

How often is syphilis a false positive?

We found a false positivity rate in total treponemal testing of 0.26%—0.1% in TPPA and 3% in RPR. Our population has a high number of prenatal screens and autoimmune diseases, both of which are more likely to have biological false positives in the RPR screen, a tendency we observed.

What does a positive RPR test mean?

A positive test result may mean that you have syphilis. If the screening test is positive, the next step is to confirm the diagnosis with a more specific test for syphilis, such as FTA-ABS. The FTA-ABS test will help distinguish between syphilis and other infections or conditions.

Can lupus cause a false positive syphilis test?

Sera of patients with lupus erythematosus can produce false-positive reactions in most serologic tests for syphilis, including the FTA-ABS test.

Are syphilis false positives common?

A treponemal, confirmatory test such as FTA-ABS, TP-PA or Syphilis Antibody testing. If both the non-treponemal and treponemal tests are positive, a presumptive diagnosis of syphilis can be made. If the confirmatory/treponemal test is negative, the initial RPR is deemed to be a false positive (which is not uncommon).

What to do if your RPR test results are negative?

If your result is negative, your doctor may ask you to wait a few weeks and then return for another test if you’re at a higher risk for syphilis. This is because of the RPR test’s potential for a false negative.

What to do if your RPR test is positive for syphilis?

What causes a false positive plasma reagin test?

These include pregnancy, IV drug use, tuberculosis, chronic liver disease, recent vaccines, or inflammation of the heart lining or valves (endocarditis). You may also have a false-positive result if you have one of a number of infections.

Can a pregnant woman get a RPR test?

Your doctor may also order this test if you have syphilis-like sores or a rash. Doctors also routinely screen pregnant women for syphilis using an RPR test. A few states still require that people who are applying for a marriage certificate get a screening test for syphilis.

What is an example of false positive?

A false positive result is an error, which means the result is not giving you the correct information. As an example of a false positive, suppose a blood test is designed to detect colon cancer. The test results come back saying a person has colon cancer when he actually does not have this disease. This is a false positive.

What does a reactive RPR test mean?

A reactive RPR may mean that you have an infection with the organism that causes syphilis (t. Pallidum) . You may need to have additional testing to confirm. If you’re infected, you will need to take medication to treat it.

What is a RPR blood test?

A rapid plasma reagin (RPR) blood test is a type of blood test that is specifically used to test for the sexually transmitted disease: Syphilis. An RPR test can also simply be called a “syphilis screening test.”.

What drugs cause false positive for alcohol?

Diazepam (Valium), a common anti-anxiety drug, can cause a false-positive result for alcohol. Another anti-anxiety medication, buspirone (Buspar), can produce a false-positive LSD test.