Negative HIV test while you have HIV, is it possible?
HIV is a virus that attacks the human immune system. It can, if not treated weaken the immune system over time. When a person is infected, he will never get Negative HIV test, his test will be always positive. There 3 test types, the most commonly used is the test detecting antibodies against the virus. Other available tests are detection of the virus antigen p24, and the test for the RNA.
What does a negative HIV test result mean?
Negative HIV test while you have HIV, is possible only if you do the test during the window period.
A negative result doesn’t mean that you don’t have HIV. That’s because of the window period. What is the window period? It is the time between exposure to HIV infection and when a test can detect HIV in the body for every infected person.
- If you get an HIV test after a potential HIV exposure and the result is negative, get tested again after the window period for the test. Example: if the test is HIV antibody test, then the window period is 90 days. If antigen test (p24), then the window period is 28 days.
- If you test again after the window period and the result is negative, you do not have HIV.
Can external factors affect the negative HIV result?
If the HIV test is negative, and done after the window period, so it is accurate. You have no HIV infection. Is there any external factor can make the test false negative? The answer: No factor can affect the result when it is negative.
Can a negative test result change by time?
No. If your test is negative, done after the window period, and no new exposure to infection, then it will stay negative for ever. the negative HIV test result will not change by time.
Can a person with an undetectable viral load test negative?
My viral load is zero, does this mean I’m negative? If the viral load is zero, is it possible there any chance to have HIV antibody test negative?
Those with HIV infection, under Anit-viral medication (ART), can have their viral load undetected. Having an undetectable viral load does not mean the person is HIV negative.
What does it mean to have viral load undetected? It means that the treatment is working well for you and HIV is very low. Also, it means you cannot pass on HIV to someone else via sex. This is called U=U. HIV antibody test will be always positive, even the viral load is zero. But usually tests don’t report as zero, but as undetected.
What is U=U? U=U is an abbreviation for: Undetectable = Un transmittable
What are the main types of HIV tests?
There are three different types of HIV tests including: 1- Antibody tests, 2- Antigen/antibody tests (COMBO) and 3- Nucleic acid tests.
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