Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. Dear Doc,
You proposed to make additional test on 4 or 6 months. I got back my
4 month negative result. At the moment I'm fine, the only one I have still
swollen lymph nodes. I spend a lot of time to searching on the net, and
found on www.aidsmeds.com forums, that the 13wk result is
conclusive, if I'm not an IV drug user, or do not have a known
immune problem. On an other site www.thebody.com I found the next:
"The CDC reports that by 25 days after exposure 50% of people who
are HIV infected have already developed HIV antibodies. By 12 weeks,
the vast majority of people who are infected have developed HIV
antibodies. People sero-converting after 12 weeks from exposure is
extremely rare. There have only been two documented cases of late
sero-conversion in 1995 and 1996."
Do you also agree with the above mentioned?
Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
Yes, the statements regarding the percentage of persons who test positive at different times is accurate. It is very unlikely, although not impossible, that a negative test at 4 months would be found in someone who has new HIV, and that is why some experts recommend going out the full 6 months. Good luck!
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