Surely, many people were prescribed an analysis for RW. What it is? This abbreviation is deciphered as the Wasserman reaction, and the study is carried out to diagnose syphilis. This method belongs to the category of screening, that is, aimed at the early detection of diseases in asymptomatic patients. This type of diagnosis is often used in mass examinations.
It should be said that the results shown by the RW analysis cannot be called guaranteed. So, a positive or negative reaction does not yet indicate the presence or absence of the causative agent of syphilis in the body - pale treponema. Thus, the RW analysis is an indicative method, which, however, makes it possible to detect the disease at an early stage. Accurate diagnosis of syphilis is carried out by specific (treponemal) methods.
If a negative test result is obtained, then this may indicate both the absence of the disease and the fact that it is still in the primary stage, or, conversely, at a late, tertiary stage. That is, in the first two to three weeks after infection, the reaction may benegative.
A positive result does not always indicate infection with treponema. In medicine, there is such a thing as a false positive reaction, which can be associated with a number of diseases: viral hepatitis, oncology, tuberculosis, drug addiction, diabetes mellitus. In addition, such a "response" of the body is possible during pregnancy, the state after vaccination and when used before blood donation of a number of food products.
The Wasserman reaction is the very first and simplest method for detecting a disease. The RW analysis consists in taking venous blood on an empty stomach. The causative agent of syphilis, as already mentioned, is a spiral microbe - pale treponema (spirochete). Outside the human body, she is able to live up to 4 days, which explains the risk of non-sexual infection.
This analysis is based on the fact that in he althy people in the blood there is a process of hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), which is absent in patients. There are two stages of primary syphilis: sero-negative (RW negative, other research methods are required) and seropositive, which can have different degrees of reaction: + and ++ - mild, +++ - positive, ++++ - sharply positive. Typically, most people who get syphilis will only test positive after 7 weeks.
The following categories of citizens are required to donate blood for RV in our country:
- blood, tissue, sperm donors;
- admitted to hospital for treatment;
- doctors;
- catering workers;
- sellersfood products;
- employees of preschool institutions;
- people who came into contact with patients;
- patients with suspicious symptoms: enlarged lymph nodes, aching bones, fever for a month or more.
In addition, RW can receive a referral for analysis:
- citizens undergoing medical examination;
- women preparing to conceive;
- persons who had casual sex;
- patients at the stage of preoperative preparation;
- patients who consulted a doctor about copious discharge from the genital tract, rashes on the skin and in the mucous membranes.
So, the main goal of the analysis for RW is to detect syphilis in the early stages, since the disease can proceed without manifestations for a long time.
