How It Works
- Receive your test kit in the post.
- Clean your finger and use the finger prick lancet to release blood.
- Fill the capillary dropper with blood up to the black line.
- Squeeze two drops of the blood into the sample area marked S on the test cassette.
- Allow the blood to absorb and add one drop of single use buffer to the sample well.
- Wait 5 minutes for the results to appear. NOTE: Do not interpret before 5 minutes or after 10 minutes as the results may be inaccurate.
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland, which sits just below the bladder and plays a role in semen production.
Measuring PSA levels can provide useful information about the prostate. Levels can vary naturally and may be affected by factors such as age, prostate enlargement (benign hypertrophy), inflammation (prostatitis), recent activity, or other conditions.
This test provides an indication of whether your PSA level falls inside or outside the expected range. Results are shown as “Normal” or “Higher than expected”. If your result is higher than expected, it should be discussed with a GP, who may recommend further checks or a follow-up blood test.
The PSA Rapid Test Cassette (Whole Blood /Serum /Plasma) is a semi-quantitative, membrane-based immunoassay for the detection of PSA in whole blood, serum or plasma.
The membrane is pre-coated with PSA antibodies on the test line region. During testing, the specimen reacts with the particle coated with an anti-PSA antibody.
The mixture migrates upward on the membrane chromatographically by capillary action to react with anti-PSA antibodies on the membrane and generate a coloured line.
The test result is visualised on the cassette with the appearance of intensity lines:
- Test line (T) intensity weaker than the reference line (R) indicates that the PSA level in the specimen is between 3-10ng/ml (LOW-POSITIVE)
- Test line (T) intensity equal or close to the reference line (R) indicates that the PSA level in the specimen is approximately 10ng/ml (MEDIUM-POSITIVE).
- Test line (T) intensity stronger than the reference line (R) indicates that the PSA level in the specimen is above 10ng/ml (HIGH-POSITIVE).
- As a procedural control, a coloured line will always appear in the control line region (C), indicating that a proper volume of specimen has been added and membrane absorbing has occurred.