Archive for June, 2008
For most HIV tests, a small amount of blood will be drawn from your arm and tested. In some cases, urine or saliva is used.
- Most HIV tests detect antibodies to HIV in the blood, urine, or saliva. A person who is not infected with HIV will not have HIV antibodies. HIV antibodies are only present when the HIV has invaded the body. As the body’s immune system fights the HIV virus, it creates antibodies to that virus to fight off the infection.
- The time it takes to get your test results varies from 30 minutes to a few weeks. Usually, publicly funded, free testing sites take longer to return test results. Private, for-profit, testing sites will return results faster. Costs at private HIV testing sites vary between $30 and $200 per test.
- It takes time for the body to develop HIV antibodies after infection. The time it takes for a person who has been infected with HIV to test positive for HIV antibodies is called a window period. This window period does not refer to the time it takes for symptoms of AIDS to begin. Symptoms may not develop for years after the exposure.
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- Many reasons exist to have an HIV test performed.
- Take advantage of early treatment and monitoring.
- The life expectancy of a person infected with HIV has greatly increased over the past 10 years because of new treatments and prevention of opportunistic infections.
- Early medical attention can slow the growth of HIV. The slower the virus spreads, the longer your body will be able to ward off the illnesses and life-threatening conditions that often accompany AIDS.
- Know about HIV so that you do not transmit the virus to others including sexual partners and future children.
- Medical treatment with medications, such as zidovudine (AZT), may reduce the risk of a pregnant woman infecting her unborn child with HIV.
- Take advantage of early treatment and monitoring.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV destroys the body’s immune system and leads to AIDS. People with AIDS develop many diseases and “opportunistic” infections (such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, cancer, and skin infections) that ultimately lead to death. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. Prevention is critical. If you have been exposed to the HIV virus in any number of ways, you can be tested to see if you have the HIV antibodies.
- How HIV is transmitted
- The HIV virus can be transmitted by unprotected sexual contact (vaginal, anal, or oral sex), sharing needles, transfused blood products, mother to newborn (30% risk), and occupational needlestick exposures. From the minute the HIV enters the body, the virus begins replicating at a rate of 10 billion new specimens per day.
- Some 90% of all new HIV infections occur in developing countries, such as in Africa and Asia, where the vast majority of cases are transmitted by sexual relations between men and women (heterosexual intercourse).
The diagnosis of HIV infection can be made by detecting the presence of disease-fighting proteins called antibodies in the blood. These HIV antibodies are not generally seen until 1-3 months following infection. If you have been exposed to the HIV virus, early testing is important because it is generally believed that the earlier treatment is started the better your outcome. Furthermore, high-risk behaviors that could spread the virus to others can be avoided.
Two different types of antibody tests, enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and Western blot, are available. The screening test is the ELISA test, and Western blot is the confirmatory test. Both of these tests can be negative for up to 3 months after the exposure. In this situation, if the suspicion for HIV infection remains high, another, more accurate test can be performed. This test directly looks for the actual HIV particles in the blood.
Many people do not develop symptoms after getting infected with HIV. Some people have a flu-like illness within several days to weeks after exposure to the virus. They complain of fever, headache, tiredness, and enlarged lymph glands in the neck. These symptoms usually disappear on their own within a few weeks.
- Following initial infection, you may have no symptoms. The progression of disease varies widely among individuals. This state may last from a few months to more than 10 years.
- During this period, the virus continues to multiply actively and infects and kills the cells of the immune system. The immune system allows us to fight against the bacteria, viruses, and other infectious causes.
- The virus destroys the cells that are the primary infection fighters, called CD4+ or T4 cells.
- Once the immune system weakens, a person infected with HIV can develop the following symptoms:
- Lack of energy