to ainxtein

thanks for your comments.
i had my test today, the result will be pubslied by next week, i am so nervous that could not stop thing about HIV.
i did not eat anything for 2 days, no idea how to spend 7 days for a result annoucement.
Dr.HHH said i have no risk from what i told. and he confirmed that my symptoms are similar as ARS. also ARS timing is 1 week to 2 weeks , not like others said it takes weeks. so someone experienced ARS, it 's common to occur on day 7 after infected.

[dobber21]

Bamboo,
ARS presents itself 2-4 weeks after infection. That is accepted by pretty much all experts on the subjects. Where are you getting your misinformation from?

[bamboosalt]

please go to hiv prevention forum which is a doctor help site.

you can find the story.

[bamboosalt]

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/HIV/messages/820.html

[bamboosalt]

we are not experts, but Dr. HHH has rich experience on HIV issues, so i consider his comments are highly reliable.

sometimes the comments in other forum by HIV positive people themself, which not so reliable cos they are not doctors, and no med experience.

i have found similar ARS timing in other websites, it said between 7 to 14 days.

[WorriedT]

Hi bamboosalt. You are right that there is quite a lot of variable information out on the Net. However, there are studies, which have looked at this.

eg.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/journal/issues/v182n1/991352/991352.html

The first paragraph of the discussion gives a good overview of all the data...

"Second, the duration between infection and the onset of AHI was similar to that in studies elsewhere [2, 58], in which IncAHI ranged from 1 to 8 weeks. For example, IncAHI lasted 11-28 days for Gaines et al. [5], 5-29 days (mean, 15 days) for Schacker et al. [2], 2-3 weeks for Quin [6], and 3-6 weeks for Clark et al. [7]. Third, our results are consistent with data obtained from health-care workers who developed AHI after needle-stick injuries [9]. In that case, the IncAHI reported was 14-28 days for Marcus et al. [10], 25 days for Oksenhendler et al. [11], and 16 days for Pratt et al. [12]."

As a report, this one is the worse case scenario for us worried wells as it reports a range from 5-70 days!!

The bottom line, however, is the MEDIAN is 21.5 days, with a distribution either side, but note a couple of things. Only 2 out of 8 of the studies report development of symptoms prior to 11 days, which means development of symptoms before then is probably very rare. 11 days is slap bang in-between 1-2 weeks, which is what Dr H said on his reply to you. Similarly, only 2 of 8 of these reports say that symptoms occur after 4 weeks, so again this would suggest it is very rare.

Basically, the majority of the publications indicate between 11-28 days.

In the end, as is said repeatedly on this Forum, don't look at symptoms as an indication of possible HIV infection.

[bamboosalt]

big thanks for your work.

i know , mean, median, mode, they are 3 different things apllied in the stasitics.

but, i heard ARS is not the same like window period.

everyone has window period, but not ARS. as Dr.HHH said in most cases, the antibody can be detected when a person experience the ARS, almost at the same time.

Antibody means when u are sick by virus, the anitbody helps you flight the virus?

[bamboosalt]

21.5 days? sounds the same timeline as window period.
21.5 days is average for most of people to occur the symptoms ?

you can check other sites, it clearly states that winow period finish means all symptoms gone.

[WorriedT]

Hi bamboosalt, AHI stands for acute HIV infection, which is basically another term for ARS. Their use of "IncAHI" is what they term the period between exposure and development of symptoms. They don't really go into window periods (ie. period between exposure and detection of HIV-specific Abs) except that they had Abs within 6 months and that they used p24 tests to pick up HIV Ab negative individuals initially.

[WorriedT]

Hi Kimoz, don't try and convince yourself of possible ARS symptoms. That was a description of the studies that have looked at it in HIV+ individuals who had known dates for HIV exposure. Even then, the research paper says it was only estimated by the subjects. If you play the what if game, you could just as much say what if those subjects caught flu a few days before their HIV exposure and that was what they interpreted as ARS.

All you can say is that the median was 21.5 days and most reports say between 11 and 28 days.

And you shouldn't be trying to predict HIV infection through symptoms because, like Dr H says, there are 100s, if not 1000s of more common infectious agents that can cause those symptoms. If you travel to work in a tube train or work in an office and someone coughs or sneezes near you, guess what - you've been exposed to a cough or cold virus that could give you ARS-like symptoms.

[bamboosalt]

hi, guys.

i have been blocked out on aidsmed.com.
i was not going to break the rules, i just feel so uncomfortable to see my result.

http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=7938.0

[bamboosalt]

do u agree with Dr.HHH' opinion that antibody can be detected in the most case when they experience the ARS?

[Teak]

Not by standard antibody testing.

[monkeyflower]

Dr. Handsfield has said that if you have actual symptoms, then you would test positive. I think I would take his word for this.

He's also clearly expressed his *expert* opinion on testing times, and why test manufacturers continue to state three months. Basically, I guess it's a little like off-label uses of various meds. The drug companies don't explicitly state that their product is also good for (whatever), without going through a long, long approval process. But that doesn't mean doctors don't prescribe it for (whatever), and it definitely doesn't mean it's not effective.

I also think that maybe language may be causing you some stress. Dr. Handsfield was just saying ARS is just one of a million different causes of various symptoms. He was quite clear that you were at no risk from this.

[bamboosalt]

really thanks .

i feel much better now . i really hope that my previous nagetive test during my winow period sick is reliable, just exactly as Dr. H said.

sorry about my poor english, ars occur on 2-4weeks after expouse, it means at least 14 days?

at the same time, thanks to Worried T' work.

[WorriedT]

Hi bamboosalt, so I think the conclusion from the studies is that ARS occurs most frequently between 11-28 days (or 1.5 to 4 weeks) after exposure with rare cases occurring before or after. It lasts on average about 2 and a half weeks (16 days). I've heard 1-3 weeks.

Like Monkeyflower said, concentrate on the rest of Dr H's post (ie. you had a no-risk event, your symptoms can be caused by lots of more common bugs and you can expect a negative result).

Relax. You'll be fine.

[kimoz]

So does that mean ars could start as soon as 5 days after infection? I have heard it usually start from 10-20 days, and could happen as early as 7 days, which is rare but possible. If that was 5 days I am in then. (my fever start at day 5)

[monkeyflower]

Oh for god's sake, you don't have HIV--not from what you described, anyway. Frottage isn't even a tiny risk.

[bamboosalt]

hi, what is your risk?
did u call any hotline for further enquire?

i have also found that website(ARS timing studies). i think that would be better to call a hotline for a proof.

[billyDon]

I like your reasoning/ after reading yours,i did a day by day calender and  I saw a DR on day 39 who looked at my tounge (without light)and felt my neck glands and didn t notice anything - it was on day 47 i noticed what i think is ( may be ) thursh - it was on day 49 i felt increadibly tired and day 50 i started to have trouble breathing/ shortness of breath on day 45 i was tested and felt good on day 46 - 46 - 47- only on day 47 did i notice the tounge and my diahrea was noted - i started diahrea on day 18 but DR said that was from anti biotic- i ve ran a very mild fever since day 6 (first day i ve checked) i feel ok in the morning but awlful at night/ do i have HIV?

[billyDon]

i felt good / only symptom of diahrea but i was taking a anti OTC drug so it was controled on day 39 when i saw a DR who was uninformed of my sexual events, but told me not to worry after looking in my mouth (no light) and feeling my neck glands- on day 45 i felt good and was tested as precaution/ i felt OK on day 48 but on day 49 felt VERY TIRED and noticed white on back of tounge/ on day 50 am now very short of breath and day 51 still dry cough and now short of breath/ on Day 53 i should get my results - I m praying when i m not looking at this and other SYMPTOMS web sites