Rapid test Antigen is a rapid examination to detect the presence of certain antigens in a person's body. Rapid test antigen is generally only done for screening (screening), and the sample used depends on the disease to be detected.
Antigens are foreign substances that can trigger the immune system to form a resistance reaction in the form of antibodies. The rapid antigen test aims to detect the antigen, namely by examining a sample of the patient's blood or throat mucus.
Antigens usually come from outside the body (heteroantigens), for example from bacteria or viruses. The presence of antigens from certain bacteria or viruses in the body indicates an infection.
Indication Rapid Test antigen
Rapid antigen tests are generally performed on patients suspected of having the following diseases:
- COVID-19
- Influenza
- Malaria
- Bacterial infection Streptococcus
- Hepatitis B
- Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid test antigen is also performed on people who do not experience any symptoms, but have the following factors:
- Having close contact with someone suspected of having COVID-19
- Planning to undergo treatment or hospital treatment
- Working in an area that does not allow optimal health protocols
- Working in a hospital or other health facility
Warning Rapid Test antigen
Before undergoing the rapid antigen test, there are several things that must be known, namely:
- Results rapid test antigens can be affected by the way saliva or mucus is sampled, the way the sample is handled before being tested, and the test equipment used
- Rapid antigen test results are not always accurate, they can be false positives or false negatives
- To confirm the diagnosis of infection, the results rapid test antigen should be followed by other tests, such as RT-PCR, microorganism culture, or rapid antibody tests
It is not recommended to do an antigen swab or res rapid antigen examination at home because errors can occur in sampling. This can cause the test results to show a false negative or false positives. This means that the result could be negative, but in fact it is not.
Therefore, to diagnose COVID-19, a clinical examination from a doctor along with PCR is required.
Procedure Rapid Test antigen
The process carried out by the doctor in the procedure rapid test antigen depending on the sample used. The sample can be mucus taken by the process swab from the nose, throat, or other parts of the body, it can also be blood drawn by sticking a needle into the tip of a finger.
The following are the steps in a rapid antigen test that uses a throat mucus sample:
- The doctor will ask the patient to blow the nose from the nose if there is one.
- The doctor will ask the patient to raise his head, making it easier for the mucus sample to be collected. If the sample is taken by mouth, the doctor will ask the patient to open the mouth as wide as possible.
- The doctor will insert the tool swab resembling cotton bud long into the nose or mouth, and pushes it up to the nasopharynx, which is the upper part of the throat located behind the nose.
- The doctor will rotate or move the instrument swab about 15 seconds for the mucus in the nasopharynx to stick to the device.
- After that, the doctor will pull the tool swab slowly from the nose or mouth.
Meanwhile, in the rapid antigen test, which uses a blood sample from the patient's fingertip (finger prick), the steps are as follows:
- The doctor will clean the patient's fingertips with alcohol.
- A special instrument with a needle at the end is inserted into the patient's fingertips.
- The fingertip of the patient who has been injured by the needle will be pressed until the blood from the wound drips onto the instrument rapid test.
- The doctor will drip antigen-detecting liquid (reagent) into the device rapid test which had previously been dripped with a patient's blood sample.
After Rapid Test antigen
Patients can immediately know the results rapid test antigen about 15 minutes after the test is complete. Results rapid antigen can be positive, ie the presence of antigen is detected; or negative, that is, no antigen was detected.
Patients who have a positive rapid antigen test result may be advised to:
- Self-isolate for 14 days
- Undergo further tests to get a more accurate diagnosis
- Taking drugs, either to treat disease, relieve symptoms, or prevent complications
- Go back to the doctor if the symptoms worsen
Risk Rapid Test antigen
Inspection rapid test antigens very rarely cause serious side effects or complications. The patient may only feel a little uncomfortable when the device is swab into the nose and throat or feel a slight pain when the needle is inserted into the fingertips.
In addition, please note that the rapid antigen test results can be false positive or false negative. A false positive means that the test shows a positive result, even though there is no antigen in the sample being tested. On the other hand, a false negative indicates a negative result, even though there is an antigen in the sample being examined.
False negative results can make patients careless to prevent the spread of disease, while false positive results can make patients worried about their health. Therefore, patients are advised not to conclude the results rapid test antigen as a diagnosis without confirmation from a doctor.