Archive for June, 2008
Following are the later symptoms of HIV:
- Lack of energy
- Weight loss
- Frequent fevers and sweats
- A thick, whitish coating of the tongue or mouth (thrush) that is caused by a yeast infection and sometimes accompanied by a sore throat
- Severe or recurring vaginal yeast infections
- Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease or severe and frequent infections like herpes zoster
- Periods of extreme and unexplained fatigue that may be combined with headaches, lightheadedness, and/or dizziness
Many people do not develop any symptoms when they first become infected with HIV. Some people, however, get a flu-like illness within three to six weeks after exposure to the virus. This illness, called Acute HIV Syndrome, may include fever, headache, tiredness, nausea, diarrhea and enlarged lymph nodes (organs of the immune system that can be felt in the neck, armpits and groin). These symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for another viral infection.
During this period, the quantity of the virus in the body will be high and it spreads to different parts, particularly the lymphoid tissue. At this stage, the infected person is more likely to pass on the infection to others. The viral quantity then drops as the body’s immune system launches an orchestrated fight.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women and newborns at high risk for HIV be tested.
- Without medical treatment, a mother infected with HIV has about a 25% chance of having a baby born with HIV.
- Medical treatment with AZT during pregnancy and labor has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of transmission of HIV from 25% to 8%.
- The standard ELISA or Western blot antibody test may not be appropriate for a pregnant woman who has had recent exposure to HIV.
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Counseling is an essential part of HIV antibody testing and should always be performed before and after testing regardless of HIV status. Counseling is mandatory in most anonymous testing sites.
- Counseling prior to the test will help you understand the results of your test, learn how to protect yourself from the virus, and gain the knowledge of how to prevent the spread of HIV if you should become infected. The counselor will explain the following:
- The test and how is performed
- AIDS and the ways HIV infection is spread
- Ways to prevent the spread of HIV
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Different Types of HIV Tests
The 2 types of tests most commonly used to detect HIV infection are the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) and Western blot tests. These tests are very accurate, but they are only able to detect HIV antibodies and not the HIV virus particle itself.
- A process is followed to determine if you are HIV positive.
- First, the ELISA test is performed.
- If the ELISA test is negative for the detection of HIV antibodies, the test is reported as negative.
- If the ELISA test is positive for the detection of HIV antibodies, the ELISA test is repeated on the same blood sample.
- If the sample is repeatedly reactive by ELISA, the results are then confirmed using the Western blot test.