What is the RPR test and who should do it?

Posted by Jason Cadwell on January 23rd, 2021

A rapid plasma reagin or RPR test is a blood test done to check you for syphilis, so you can get the best syphilis treatment Singapore. It works by identifying the vague antibodies that your system generates while fighting the infection.

Syphilis is a type of sexually transmitted infection or STI triggered by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum, which can impose life-threatening issues if left untreated.

Merged with particular antibody screening, the RPR testing enables the STI doctor Singapore to confirm the diagnosis of live infection and begin your syphilis treatment. This mitigates the occurrences of complications and the escalation of the disease by an infected person who’s completely unaware of the fact.

When is an RPR test suggested?

Your syphilis doctor in Singapore may suggest an RPR testing for several reasons. It’s a quick way to check those at greater risk for contracting syphilis. Your STD doctor SG may also ask for this test if you have syphilis-like sores or rashes. 

The RPR test Singapore evaluates antibodies that are active in the blood of someone who has contracted syphilis, instead of the bacterium that leads to the disease. It can also be utilized to screen the advancement of treatment for active syphilis. After a course of effective antibiotic treatment for syphilis, the STD doctor near me would expect to assess the number of antibodies fall, and a rapid syphilis test Singapore could confirm this.

How blood for the RPR test is taken?

At an STI clinic near me, the doctors take blood for the RPR screening with a simple process called a venipuncture, which can be easily done at the syphilis treatment clinic in Singapore.

You will not need to fast or bring along any other extra measures before this RPR screening. 

The test involves the following steps:

1. The healthcare provider will tell you to rest in a cozy chair or lie down on a gurney
2. After that they’ll tie rubber tubing around your upper arm to ensure that your veins stand out. When they get your vein, they will rub the area with rubbing alcohol to clean it and put a needle to penetrate the vein. The injection might cause a sudden and quick agony, but will fade sooner
3. Once they get your blood sample, they’ll put the needle from out of your vein, put pressure on the injection site for 10-15 seconds, and offer you a bandage

Risks of the RPR test

Venipuncture is a minimally-invasive that has fewer to nil side effects. Some individuals complain of soreness, bleeding, or bruising after an RPR test. If needed, one can apply an ice pack to the injection site to help mitigate such symptoms.

Some individuals might feel light-headed or dizzy during RPR screening. Tell your healthcare provider if the dizziness stays with you for more than 3-5 minutes.

Understanding your results

A simple RPR blood sample exerts no antibodies usually generated during the infection. However, the STD specialist Singapore cannot fully rule out syphilis if they don’t find any antibodies.

Once you’re contracted, it will take some time for your immune system to generate antibodies. Just after the infection, a syphilis screening may not yet display any antibodies- a condition known as a false negative.

False negatives are quite common in the primary and final phases of infection. 

The RPR screening in Singapore can also display false-positive results, telling that you have syphilis even if you don’t. A primary reason for a false positive is the activity of another disease that generates antibodies that are quite identical to the ones generated during syphilis infection.