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Research

Greetings doctor I am actually doing a research paper on HIV for school and with so much info online from one end of the spectrum to the other I figure I would ask a specialist directly a few questions so here it goes...
1-with testing now a days would you consider 6-8 weeks conclusive?
2-do you believe rapid tests are just as reliable as lab based?
3-do you feel oral rapid tests are just as good as blood?
4-what are the most common symptoms you see with onset of HIV?
5-what is the latest you seen some one take to turn +?
6-any mess that slow antibody production?
7-are there any diseases like diabetes or hepatitis that would slow antibody production to show on a rapid test?
8-is there any other info I could add that one might not know about?

Thanks doctor and I'll be sure to let you know how I make out on the paper!!
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Avatar universal
Thanks doc!
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239123 tn?1267647614
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.  However, it is intended for clinical and prevention advice for personal reasons, and to educate other users.  The kind of research you are doing requires responses far more detailed than are practical here, as well as literature citations to back them up.  Thus, my replies are brief.  You'll need to carry out more scholarly research.  If you do most of that study on line, you should carefully limit yourself to professionally run and moderated sites.  If you do that, you will find there actually is not much difference of opinion or advice about HIV testing.

1) Depends on test type.  6-8 weeks is generally conclusive for the HIV antibody tests, even though 3 months is commonly recommended.  Other tests (PCR, p24 antigen), or combinations of tests, are reliable after shorter intervals.

2) Yes, except a slightly higher chance of false positive results with the rapid compared with lab-based testes.

3) Yes.  Oral and blood rapid tests have essentially identical performance characteristics.

4) Much too complex for a useful reply.  I'll just say that 70% of people with ARS have sore throat, fever, and skin rash (all 3).

5) Irrelevant.  My personal experience has no bearing on how frequently a rare event may occur.

6) It assume "mess" is supposed to be "meds".  In theory, potent chemotherapy or immunusuppressive drugs in high doses may delay development of measurable antibody.  But I stress "in theory".  There are few if any reports that it actually happened.  Certainly no other medications are known to have such an effect.

7) No.  Again, in theory advanced cancer and other terminal illnesses -- but her too, no actual reported cases that it ever happened.

8) For the purposes of such a paper, there innumerable other details you need to learn.  I couldn't begin to list them.

Good luck--  HHH, MD
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