Reagin antibodies can indicate certain conditions or diseases, such as syphilis or allergies. The Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) test is a common preliminary test for syphilis, but a positive result can also be caused by other conditions. Reagins are usually specific to the individual and do not pass the placental barrier or survive blood transfusions.
A reagin is any one of a family of antibodies that usually appear as immunoglobulins in the blood, but also sometimes occur in human skin sera. Antibodies to the reaction are often an indicator of certain conditions and diseases. Antibodies usually form due to other cellular degradations in the body, including those caused by syphilis. In other cases, the reactions form in response to certain histamines, which can trigger allergic reactions in some people. Nothing about the presence of reagin in a person’s body is necessarily bad. How reactions react with cells in the body and why they were formed in the first place is what makes it significant.
Not all people have antibodies to reain, and even those who do may not have them forever. Reagns are formed in response to a specific condition or cellular presence in the body. Doctors generally view the presence of reagin as a sign of something bigger and as a reason to conduct further tests.
The Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) test, for example, is a common preliminary test for syphilis. It works by testing a patient’s blood for reain antibodies. When a person is infected with syphilis, the syphilis virus, via the bacterium Treponema Pallidum, destroys many of the healthy cells in the body. The parts of those cells that aren’t consumed by the bacteria are left as carnage in the bloodstream, and the body will in most cases create an antibody reactin to fight them.
The RPR is a well-respected syphilis screening test and can also be used to determine the effectiveness of syphilis treatments in patients with established infections. However, RPR testing alone cannot offer a definitive diagnosis. Any presence of reagin in the blood, whatever the cause, will lead to a positive RPR result. Other conditions that can cause a positive RPR include malaria, lupus, Lyme disease, and HIV. Because specific tests for syphilis are usually more invasive than a simple blood draw, RPR is generally the first step in any suspected case of syphilis.
Reagin in the blood could also indicate the presence of some allergic tendencies. When certain antibodies attach to cell membranes in the body, they can trigger the release of histamines, which in turn cause allergic reactions. Reactions can range from skin rashes to hay fever, pollen allergies and, in extreme cases, asthma.
Reagins are usually specific to the individual in which they form and are not present in most people. They don’t pass the placental barrier, so they can’t pass from mother to child. They typically do not survive blood transfusions. Exposure to heat or oxygen usually destroys them.
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