Diagnosed with HIV? Learn what to do next. Click here |
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The first tests for HIV antibodies were introduced in 1985 to screen donated blood. - Since then, their use has been expanded to include evaluating persons at risk of HIV infection. The three standard HIV tests are : Enzyme Immunosorbent Assay (EIA), Western Blot (WB) Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). Persons are informed that they are positive only when they test positive repeatedly by EIA; the results are confirmed by the more specific Western Blot or Immunofluorescence Assay. How The Tests Work The EIA detects antibodies produced in response to HIV infection. Even though some people refer to this initial reaction as a positive result, it should not be considered positive until confirmed by a second, supplemental test on the same blood sample. If two or more blood tests are "reactive" on EIA, then the results are confirmed using a second, more specific antibody test such as the Western blot or an Immunofluorescence assay. This more specific second test can differentiate between HIV antibodies and other antibodies that react to the EIA, causing positive results even when the person is not actually infected with HIV. Although false-positive EIA results are uncommon, they can occur when the test mistakes other antibodies that the body has made for HIV antibodies. If Your Test Is Negative: What It Means If your HIV antibody test is negative, you are either uninfected or in the early stages of the production of HIV antibodies. This early period before development of HIV antibodies, which would not be detectable on a test, is called the seroconversion time or period. Some have referred to this time as the "window period" since this is the window of opportunity for persons to unknowingly infect others. It can take up to three months for the body to produce detectable amounts of HIV antibodies. In some cases a test result is indeterminate or equivocal, meaning it is too early for detection of HIV antibodies or your blood has produced something to cause a test reaction. If an indeterminate reading continues for six months or longer, you are considered uninfected. Rapid antibody tests that produce results within a half hour have been developed. The only rapid HIV test licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the U.S. is the Single Use Diagnostic System for HIV-1 (SUDS). Until more rapid tests are approved, their use will remain limited to non-traditional test settings. The Blood Test Alternative An effective alternative to blood testing is an oral fluids test called OraSure, an HIV antibody testing system that uses a cotton pad placed in the mouth to draw virus out of the gum. Specimens are sent to a laboratory for analysis. The test, which is available only in clinics or health care professionals' offices, is as accurate as a blood test and costs about the same as a blood test. TestingAt Home: What Can Help An over-the-counter HIV test that you can perform in your home also is available. Although there are several home tests advertised, only one, Home Access Express HIV-1 Test System, is approved in the U.S. The Home Access test uses a simple finger prick process for collecting blood. The specimen is placed on special paper and mailed to a laboratory. Each test comes with a confidential or anonymous personal identification number. You receive test results by making a toll-free call. If this type of test is of interest to you, ask your health care professional for more information about where to purchase it and how to use it correctly. Diagnosed With HIV: What To Do Next Once you are diagnosed with HIV, you should search for an HIV specialist or at least a health care professional who has experience treating HIV patients. The HIV field changes so fast that most general practice physicians cannot keep up with the latest treatment advances. Being HIV-positive, you may also face unique psychological and social challenges. Whom to notify, how to handle your feelings, when to start treatment and where to find financial assistance are some of the major issues that you face after diagnosis. An HIV specialist also will be informed about the unique ways that HIV infection impacts a woman's health. For example, HIV-infected women are more likely to experience gynecological disorders than HIV-negative women, and are much more likely to have abnormal Pap smears. Consequently, screening every six months is advised for women with symptomatic HIV infection, prior abnormal Pap smears or signs of human papillomavirus infection (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that causes genital warts and lesions. NEXT: Treatments for HIV: What Every Woman Should Know From: Women's Health Resource Center |
Diagnosed with HIV? Learn what to do next. Click here |
