Blood Test For HIV And Hepatitis - Positive And Negative, Where To Get Tested For HIV During Pregnancy

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Blood test for HIV and hepatitis

Positive and negative tests for HIV and hepatitis

Almost everyone knows about such a terrible disease as HIV infection (human immunodeficiency virus) in our time. This disease, called the plague of the twentieth century, and to this day is incredibly dangerous, there is no universal cure for it. In this viral disease, suppression of immunity occurs at the cellular level. Extensive knowledge about the transmission routes of this virus, obtained by modern medicine as a result of numerous studies, allows a person to avoid or minimize the risk of possible infection.

If a situation has occurred in which infection is possible (this may be an accidental sexual relationship with an unknown person without using a condom, the use of non-sterile medical instruments or equipment for applying tattoos, the general use of injection needles, etc.), then it is best to check for the body of HIV infection. It is also highly recommended to pass such tests in such cases:

1. With a sharp weight loss for unclear reasons.
2. When planning a pregnancy.
3. In preparation for surgery and hospitalization.

A blood test should be taken in order to save yourself from fears and anxieties, to protect your loved ones and, if necessary, to begin timely treatment. It is simply impossible to determine whether a person is infected by appearance or not. HIV is a very insidious disease. The penetration and development of the virus in the body may practically not cause any signs of infection. The emerging symptoms of HIV are very easy to attribute to signs of some minor illnesses, so in many cases they go unnoticed.

For accurate detection of the virus in the body, special laboratory tests should be performed. Such tests are performed with blood serum taken from a vein. They are based not on the detection of the virus itself, but on antibodies to HIV. Antibodies can be called the soldiers of the immune system, protecting the body from various infections. When bacteria and viruses enter the bloodstream, the immune system begins to produce antibodies to them. When HIV enters the human body, the immune system begins to produce the corresponding antibodies.

In sufficient quantities for detection, they are usually produced within three months of infection. Depending on the state of the immune system, the time for the appearance of antibodies may differ - for some, they appear within two to three weeks, in some cases, for example, in severe drug addiction, this process can take up to a year. This period, when the virus is already present in the body, but antibodies have not yet been detected, is called the period of the "seronegative window", seroconversion or the period of antibody development.

During this period, the test results for HIV infection will be negative, but the infected person is already able to infect other people. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects antibodies directed against HIV is used to test blood for HIV infection. The method of polymerase chain reaction is also used, which detects the virus itself in the body and is the most reliable method.

The result of the PCR analysis is usually called positive if a virus is detected, negative when a virus is not detected and doubtful if virus markers are present, but not all. The blood test should be taken on an empty stomach, the time interval between blood sampling and the last meal should be at least eight hours. Blood for analysis is taken from the ulnar vein with a sterile syringe in a special treatment room

A blood test for hepatitis is also done to determine the presence of antibodies to this virus. This analysis can confirm or deny human infection with the hepatitis virus. The tests will also help determine the extent of liver damage caused by this disease.

Since the course of the disease can be almost asymptomatic at an early stage, it is necessary to test for hepatitis as early as possible to prevent severe liver damage. It should be taken on an empty stomach. At least eight hours should elapse between blood sampling and the last meal.

Where to get tested for HIV during pregnancy

A blood test for HIV during pregnancy is mandatory for every woman, although, of course, no one has the right to force her. Usually, tests for the detection of antibodies to this virus during pregnancy are performed two times - immediately upon registration and at the thirtieth week of pregnancy. The referral for these tests is given by your doctor at the first visit to the antenatal clinic.

He also tells how to get to the place of delivery of these tests and explains their results. Because HIV can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby, these tests are very important.

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.