QuestionQUESTION: Hi there, i was wondering if you could help the thing is i had my blood
taken when i was pregnant and the syphilis test came back as false
positive it was explained to me that the RPR was ( slightly) reactive and
the FTA-ABS was non reactive therefor the result was a false positive, my
blood was repeated 4 times while i was pregnant all with the same result
i was told this was most likely caused by the pregnancy, i didnt believe
that as this was my third pregnancy and never had this with my 2
previous anyway i had my son and then asked them to repeat the test
and it has came back with the same result, my doctor cannot explain it
and just said they are 100% sure its not syphilis, could you maybe help
explain what would cause this? It has been dragging out for a long time
now and it is something that always plays on my mind
Thanks in advance
ANSWER: Hi Leanne. I understand your frustration! But your doctor's right. You can be 100% sure it's not syphilis because of the negative FTA-ABS. In the general population about 1.5% of people have false positive RPRs. they are more common in persons with other illness or people who are taking medications but can also occur in persons without other problems as well. Common causes of false positives are acute viral and bacterial illness, pregnancy, collagen disease and drug addiction. Did your doctor tell you to what titer ("dils) that your RPR was positive to? Generally, false positive reactions are less than 8 "dils" and usually last several weeks to several months. Since you have a false-positive RPR (that is, the RPR is positive and the FTA-ABS is negative), your provider may evaluate you for other rheumatoid conditions that can cause a false-positive result (for example, systemic lupus erythematosus). The majority of women with a false-positive RPR, however, have no underlying condition. Hope this helps!
Samantha
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you very much for your reply, my doctor said something
about 1.2 not sure if that was the titer, It has been a year
since the first positive RPR and as far as I'm aware the
titer has not went up nor down, I have no symptoms of any
illness but I do have several numb patches which I have had
for years so I am seeing a neurologist soon and I will
mention to them about this maybe its linked somehow, the
only other thing I would like to ask is, is it possible to
have 2 non reactive RPR results ie in my first 2 pregnancy's
then to go on and get the results I am getting now if there
was nothing at all wrong with me? Although I am not ill now
it would be helpful to know if it was definitely caused by something rather than going to the doctor and them telling
me its normal and it happens sometimes if you know what I
mean, thank you again for your help and advice :)
AnswerHi again, Leanne. If your titer is indeed 1:2, then that is the lowest possible titer possible, so this is good. And yes, it is common for negative RPRs in initial pregnancies and then the false positive to show up later. Still mention this to the neurologist though but I wouldn't worry. Good luck!
Samantha
