All About HIV Testing

The major problem with relying on signs and symptoms to detect HIV or AIDS is that sometimes these conditions show no sign of their presence at all. You may feel and look great and still be HIV positive. Now that is a scary fact. And the reality is, you may be passing on the disease to others without even realizing it.

Now to avoid the guilt of this and to take action on your own condition, if you have even the smallest suspicion that you are suffering from HIV, get a test done to confirm it. That is the only way you will ever know.

However, some people do exhibit various signs & symptoms and it is important to note them as well. Perhaps you do not suspect that you have contracted HIV at all and are not even thinking about that possibility. That is when being aware of the symptoms to look out for can come in handy.

* A fever that you cannot seem to get rid of
* Persistent diarrhea
* Headache
* Swollen glands in the neck, groin and/or armpits
* White spots on the tongue, throat or in the mouth
* Night sweats
* Dry cough
* Fatigue
* Blotches on the skin or under it. Can also appear in the mouth, nose or on the eyelids. They are usually purple, brown or red in color.

And some of the more serious signs and symptoms include:

* Depression
* Pneumonia
* Weight loss
* Memory loss

As the HIV virus takes over the white blood cells, the virus then causes AIDS. AIDS occurs when the immune system has been severely weakened by the HIV virus and you either develop something called an opportunistic infection, or an infection that occurs because your immune system is so "down" or your lymphocyte count is below 200.

Some signs and symptoms associated with an opportunistic infection caused by the progression of the HIV virus include:

* Severe chills
* Severe night sweats
* Persistent fever of over 100 F
* Blurred vision
* Rapid weight loss
* Shortness of breath
* Severe diarrhea
* Lesions in the mouth, on the tongue or in the throat that will not go away.

The development of cancer is also more likely in those with advanced HIV disease.

The most common killer of those with advanced <HIV or AIDS is Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or PCP-an opportunistic infection and type of pneumonia that develops exclusively in AIDS patients.

Contracting HIV or AIDS used to be a death sentence. And while there is still no cure, treatments have improved vastly. The AIDS drug "cocktail" has helped many people live longer and happier lives than ever thought possible with the disease. Plus, new medical treatments are helpful prolong the period of time before HIV turns into AIDS. These are all great developments and who knows what the future will bring?

Why should I take an HIV test?
If you have never had unprotected sex, shared drug injecting equipment, or been exposed to HIV during a medical procedure or at work, then there is probably very little likelihood of you having HIV, and no real reason for you to take an HIV test. In almost every case, it is better to know your status than not to know.

When should I take an HIV test?
Though a person who is infected with HIV will become infectious themselves very rapidly, they will normally have to wait a while before an HIV test will produce an accurate result. For most people antibodies take 6 weeks to 3 months to develop. In rare cases, it can take up to 6 months. It is extremely rare for a person to take any longer then 6 months to develop detectable antibodies.

Can I get an accurate result in HIV test in less than 3 months?
Yes, accurate results can be obtained within 3 weeks of infection. Tests such as the p24 antigen test and HIV PCR test can usually give accurate results in less time as they work on HIV virus based specific surface markers. So if HIV is present, it would show up in antibody based testing.

What is a rapid test?
Rapid tests do not require laboratory facilities or highly trained staff. These are often It is an antibody tests in which an HIV specific antibody is attached on a solid phase. This makes rapid tests particularly suitable for use in countries with limited resources. Results are usually available in about 30 minutes. They are single-use tests.

What is a p24 antigen test?
The p24 antigen is a protein that is part of HIV. During the first few weeks after someone becomes infected with HIV, p24 is produced in excess and can be detected in the blood serum. So, It is used to screen blood supplies.