False positive Wasserman reaction

Wasserman's reaction, successfully used to diagnose and control the effectiveness of syphilis treatment, is widely used in mass surveys of donors, pregnant women, educators, trade and catering.

Wasserman's reaction - how to take the analysis?

This analysis is one of the main serological studies. Blood for analysis is recommended for delivery on an empty stomach. This is due to the fact that the use of alcoholic beverages and fatty foods can affect the accuracy of the results. Blood is drawn from both the vein and the finger.

Wasserman's False Reaction

At the heart of Wasserman's reaction is the development of antibodies in the blood serum of a sick person by the immune system. Antibodies are identified as a result of a laboratory study of the antigen - cardiolipin. A positive reaction is considered in case of detection of antibodies in the test blood sample. However, cases of the so-called false-positive reaction of Wasserman are not uncommon. This is due to the paradoxical reaction of human immunity, when the immune system begins to fight the cells of its own organism. It is with this variant of the development of events in the blood that the same anti-lipid antibodies are tested as in the case of syphilis.

The reasons for the false positive reaction of Wasserman

According to statistics, similar results occur in 0.1-2% of cases from the total number of studies. Possible causes include:

• viral infections (hepatitis, intestinal infections, malaria, tuberculosis );
• systemic diseases (lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, scleroderma and others);
• heart inflammatory diseases;
• pregnancy;
• diabetes mellitus ;
• blood diseases;
• reception of alcohol and drugs.

False positive Wasserman reaction in some of these cases after a certain long period (a year or more) can become negative even without any treatment.

The diagnosis of a false positive reaction Wasserman during pregnancy is a stressful factor for a woman preparing for motherhood. To exclude the setting of an erroneous diagnosis in such cases, repeated serological examination is recommended, which is carried out 2 weeks after the first. Treatment can be prescribed only after the re-establishment of a sharply positive reaction.

As a rule, the nonspecific serological reaction in most cases is weakly positive. It should also be taken into account that the identification of a weakly positive Wasserman reaction may depend on the methodological purity and technique of the study.