Vitamin D very low 7 ng/ml - effect on HIV testing

Dear Doctor,

I am writing to you from India. I had unprotected oral and protected vaginal (for 30 sec) with a female sex worker (got a BJ), who i am sure is positive. I got the HIV 1 and 2 blood tests done at 5 days after completion of 5 weeks. In other words, I was 2 days short of 6 weeks from the date of the incident and this test was negative.

Yesterday I got the results for vitamin D check as a part of complete blood work. It was very low at 7 ng/ml. I also have high cholesterol (241) and triglycerides (254).

I have had some strong asthma medication in the past few months and I am taking dietary supplements by Elemis based on various Algae (for Energy, contouring, vitality, cellulite removal)

Q1) Does my very low vitamin D - 7 ng/ML affect the HIV 1 and 2 results? This is worrying me to no end having read somewhere that low vitamin D can be due to auto immune disease. Also some posts mention that autoimmune disease can delay antibody production.

Q2) I have some skin rashes akin to small red dots which are itchy over my arms, hands and a few on my back at 6 weeks. I have a very slight fever 99. Is this a sign of ASR? Or is it just that I am too stressed out by this whole episode which is causing all these things?

Q3) Given my negative test of HIV 1 and 2 at 5 weeks and 5 days in conjunction with my very low Vitamin D, do you think I am OK to move on?

I am extremely tense.

Thank you in advance for your answers.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the HIV forum.

No medical condition affects the reliability of HIV testing.  In theory, advanced chemotherapy or extremely severe illness (e.g., terminal cancer) might do so, but even these are theoretical only, with few if any known cases of it actually happening. There certainly is no reason to suppose that low levels of vitamin D have any effect.  Same for your other lab results, medications, etc.  And autoimmune diseases don't have any such effect.  (And I have never hears of autoimmune disease as causes for low vitamin D levels.)

And since your sexual exposure was condom protected, there was no HIV risk anyway.  Further, I am skeptical that you have reason to be "sure" your commercial sex partner had HIV.  Certainly HIV is common in sex workers in parts of India, but nevertheless the large majority are not infected.   To the specific questions:

1) No cause for worry; see above.

2) These symptoms do not suggest ARS.

3) Based on the combination of the low risk nature of the exposure plus your test results, it is nearly impossible you have HIV. However, sometimes it takes up to 8 weeks, and rarely 3 months, for positive test results.  So you might want to have another test in a few weeks.  If you do that, you can expect it to remain negative.

Anticipating a common question, even though you didn't ask it:  If you have a regular sex partner, there is no reason you cannot continue unprotected sex with her.

Regards--  HHH, MD

[khajoor]

Dear Doctor,

Thanks for your reply. I saw my doctor for my blood work and he gave me a course of 6 week - 1 tablet of vitamin D 50,000 IU once per week and something called simvastatin 20 mg one per day for my cholesterol and triglycerides. I have 2 questions:

1) Do any of these medications affect my future antibody tests?

2) I am a very worried, From your statement "it is nearly impossible for HIV"  but you also mention "however sometime the test takes 8 weeks and rarely 12 weeks and you suggesting an addition test." I am now very worried, based on your vast experience please let me know if I am ok and will be alright. Looking from some reassurance please. I forgot to mention I am not circumsised.

Thank You.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

No medicines have any effect on HIV test results.

My reply should be viewed as reassuring, not make you more worried.  Read it again and don't split hairs on meaning.  You don't have HIV.

That will be all for this thread.

[khajoor]

Dear Doctor,

Last question. My white blood cell is 5.2 K/uL NORMAL, but Neutrophil is LOW 46% and Eosinophil is HIGH 6%. I read on medhelp site that low Neutrophil can be due to HIV infection.

1) Can low neutophile be cause by recent HIV infection?
2) and if so, I had my hiv test at the same time (from the same blood sample)  which came back negative, Would the test be postive at that time?

Thank You.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

"That will be all for this thread" meant what it said.  Read my replies above and pay attention to them this time.  You don't have HIV.  Any more anxiety-driven comments will result in immediate deletion of the entire thread.  And do not start a new thread with the same questions; it would suffer the same fate, without refund of the posting fee.