Lab diagnosis of hiv

Diagnosis HIV can be diagnosed through blood or saliva testing. Available tests include: • Antigen/antibody tests. These tests usually involve drawing blood from a vein. Antigens are substances on the HIV virus itself and are usually detectable — a positive test — in the blood within a few weeks after exposure to HIV. Antibodies are produced by your immune system when it's exposed to HIV. It can take weeks to months for antibodies to become detectable. The combination antigen/antibody tests can take 2 to 6 weeks after exposure to become positive. • Antibody tests. These tests look for antibodies to HIV in blood or saliva. Most rapid HIV tests, including self-tests done at home, are antibody tests. Antibody tests can take 3 to 12 weeks after you're exposed to become positive. • Nucleic acid tests (NATs). These tests look for the actual virus in your blood (viral load). They also involve blood drawn from a vein. If you might have been exposed to HIV within the past few weeks, your health care provider may recommend NAT. NAT will be the first test to become positive after exposure to HIV. Talk to your health care provider about which HIV test is right for you. If any of these tests are negative, you may still need a follow-up test weeks to months later to confirm the results. Tests to stage disease and treatment If you've been diagnosed with HIV, it's important to find a specialist trained in diagnosing and treating HIV to help you: • Determine whether you need additional tes...

Recognition and diagnosis of acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the primary care setting presents an opportunity for patient education and health promotion. Symptoms of acute HIV infection are nonspecific (e.g., fever, malaise, myalgias, rash), making misdiagnosis common. Because a wide range of conditions may produce similar symptoms, the diagnosis of acute HIV infection involves a high index of suspicion, a thorough assessment of HIV exposure risk, and appropriate HIV-related laboratory tests. HIV RNA viral load testing is the most useful diagnostic test for acute HIV infection because HIV antibody testing results are generally negative or indeterminate during acute HIV infection. After the diagnosis of acute HIV infection is confirmed, physicians should discuss effective transmission risk reduction strategies with patients. The decision to initiate antiretroviral therapy should be guided by consultation with an HIV specialist. Acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, also known as primary HIV infection or acute retroviral syndrome, is the period just after initial HIV infection, generally before seroconversion. Although some patients remain asymptomatic, acute HIV infection often manifests with transient symptoms related to high levels of HIV viral replication and the subsequent immune response. Because symptoms of acute HIV infection (e.g., fever, rash, malaise, sore throat) mimic other, more prevalent conditions, such as influenza, misdia...

Diagnosis HIV can be diagnosed through blood or saliva testing. Available tests include: • Antigen/antibody tests. These tests usually involve drawing blood from a vein. Antigens are substances on the HIV virus itself and are usually detectable — a positive test — in the blood within a few weeks after exposure to HIV. Antibodies are produced by your immune system when it's exposed to HIV. It can take weeks to months for antibodies to become detectable. The combination antigen/antibody tests can take 2 to 6 weeks after exposure to become positive. • Antibody tests. These tests look for antibodies to HIV in blood or saliva. Most rapid HIV tests, including self-tests done at home, are antibody tests. Antibody tests can take 3 to 12 weeks after you're exposed to become positive. • Nucleic acid tests (NATs). These tests look for the actual virus in your blood (viral load). They also involve blood drawn from a vein. If you might have been exposed to HIV within the past few weeks, your health care provider may recommend NAT. NAT will be the first test to become positive after exposure to HIV. Talk to your health care provider about which HIV test is right for you. If any of these tests are negative, you may still need a follow-up test weeks to months later to confirm the results. Tests to stage disease and treatment If you've been diagnosed with HIV, it's important to find a specialist trained in diagnosing and treating HIV to help you: • Determine whether you need additional tes...

Recognition and diagnosis of acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the primary care setting presents an opportunity for patient education and health promotion. Symptoms of acute HIV infection are nonspecific (e.g., fever, malaise, myalgias, rash), making misdiagnosis common. Because a wide range of conditions may produce similar symptoms, the diagnosis of acute HIV infection involves a high index of suspicion, a thorough assessment of HIV exposure risk, and appropriate HIV-related laboratory tests. HIV RNA viral load testing is the most useful diagnostic test for acute HIV infection because HIV antibody testing results are generally negative or indeterminate during acute HIV infection. After the diagnosis of acute HIV infection is confirmed, physicians should discuss effective transmission risk reduction strategies with patients. The decision to initiate antiretroviral therapy should be guided by consultation with an HIV specialist. Acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, also known as primary HIV infection or acute retroviral syndrome, is the period just after initial HIV infection, generally before seroconversion. Although some patients remain asymptomatic, acute HIV infection often manifests with transient symptoms related to high levels of HIV viral replication and the subsequent immune response. Because symptoms of acute HIV infection (e.g., fever, rash, malaise, sore throat) mimic other, more prevalent conditions, such as influenza, misdia...