HIV Signs: Symptoms And Analysis

Signs and Symptoms: HIV should be viewed as a continuum which includes initial infection, asymptomatic latent infection, symptomatic infection and end-stage AIDS diagnosis. The progression along a person’s continuum cannot be predicted as it varies from person to person. Since each person’s progression through HIV is different, each person should be viewed as an individual regardless of symptoms they may present with. There are various symptoms that a person can present with during the initial infection of HIV, however the symptoms are so miscellaneous that patients often mistake symptoms for other viral infections or bodily stress. It is important that providers keep in mind that acute HIV infection can often present much like a mononucleosis …show more content…
Two specific tests for HIV include antibody and antigen detection. Conventional HIV antibody testing is done with the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Positive specimens are then confirmed by a different testing method such as the Western blot test. The ELISA and Western Blot tests are very accurate when it comes to detection of HIV as “the sensitivity of screening serologic tests is greater than 99.9%. The specificity of positive results by two different techniques approaches 100% even in low risk populations” (Papadakis, 2016). Sometimes false-positive screening tests may occur as normal variants in association with recent influenza vaccination or other connective tissue diseases such as lupus. PCR testing can show a small amount of individuals (less than 1%) who are infected with HIV for up to 36 months without generating an antibody response. Typically 95% of patients develop antibodies to HIV within 6 weeks of being infected, and antibodies are detectable by screening serologic tests. Along with the detectable antibodies to HIV, elevations in liver enzymes, mild anemia and thrombocytopenia have also been reported in association with early HIV infection (Sax, …show more content…
Aside from blood tests, there are other tests that can be done to confirm the diagnosis of HIV. There are several rapid HIV tests that have been approved by the FDA which can aid in diagnosing patients. These rapid tests are available at pharmacies and through clinician offices and make diagnosing HIV possible for those who can afford it. Rapid HIV antibody tests of blood or oral fluid provide results within 10-20 minutes and can be performed in clinician offices or even at home without any laboratory training (Papadakis, 2016). Any patient that tests positive on a rapid HIV test should follow up with their primary care provider because they may have HIV or their test may be falsely reactive. Rapid testing is helpful in settings where an immediate result is needed or when the patient is unlikely to follow up for the result of their bloodwork. There are also home HIV test kits available to allow people to learn their HIV status in the privacy of their own