What can cause 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)

Does a reactive RPR mean I have syphilis?

Antibodies are found. This is called a reactive or positive test. A reactive or positive test result does not always mean that you have syphilis. Other conditions can cause positive test results.

Is RPR positive for life?

EIA reactive, RPR non-reactive, TP-PA reactive Remember that treponemal tests will generally stay positive for life, so if the patient has previously been treated for syphilis, this is the expected serologic result.

What can cause a reactive syphilis test?

In some cases, your body may not produce antibodies even if you have been infected with syphilis. This means the VDRL test will be inaccurate….On the other hand, the following can cause false-positive results:

• HIV.
• Lyme disease.
• malaria.
• pneumonia (certain types only)
• systemic lupus erythematosus.
• IV drug use.
• tuberculosis.

What could cause a false-positive for syphilis?

False-positive nontreponemal test results can be associated with various medical conditions unrelated to syphilis, including autoimmune disorders, older age, and injection drug use. Screening tests, such as the VDRL and RPR, are relatively simple to perform and provide rapid results.

What is the difference between RPR and 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.

Can you test positive for syphilis and not have it?

Does RPR stay positive after treatment?

Following successful treatment, the RPR declines over time and may become nonreactive. However, the RPR may remain reactive at a low titer (generally <1:8), a condition referred to as the serofast state. The serofast state does not apply to this patient because he has no previous syphilis history.

How accurate is RPR test?

How soon various syphilis tests can be done—and their accuracy

	The earliest the test can be done —— Accuracy
RPR	2–3 weeks after exposure Accuracy: 86\%
VDRL	3–6 weeks after exposure Accuracy: 78\%
FTA-ABS	3–4 weeks after exposure Accuracy: 84\%
TPPA	3–4 weeks after exposure Accuracy: 88\%