HIV Tests – Importance, Types, Procedures and Results

Although an enduring ailment yet you can stay happy with HIV with proper treatment and preventive measures. There is nothing to scare or upset when you are recommended an HIV test. It is non-curable but it is possible to survive and lead a happy life with adequate treatment and proper medication. Continue reading this blog to know different kinds of HIV tests and their significance.

What’s HIV?

Acronym as HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the infection leading to AIDS. It refers to the initial stage of the infection. But necessary tests are there to check the person with the infection and how long they are suffering from it and at which stage they are at present.

What is the significance of this test?

This test will let you know about the infection status and allow you to keep the partners safe from this infection.

How about if the result comes positive?

If your private HIV tests in London come out as positive then it is not the end of the life. You can take necessary preventive measures to improve the health and lead a happy and normal life. Even you can start Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) which involves customised patient medication to treat the HIV.

With the medication therapy, you need to take a combination of medicines for effective treatment. As a result, you will be able to live for long and alleviate the risk of transferring the infection through sexual contact.

How about if the result comes negative?

The negative HIV test confirms that you are free from HIV. But it never means that you are free from it for the rest of your life. However, your must take preventive measures for combating the ailment so that you won’t get the infection anytime.

Who should perform HIV tests?

Every individual from 13-64 needs to go for the testing because; in this period people are prone to get the infection. The key factors to trigger the HIV infection are:

• Having unprotected sex with multiple partners at a time
• Getting STD like syphilis
• Developing hepatitis or tuberculosis
• Getting physical relation with any HIV-infected individual
• Sharing syringes, infected needles and drugs using the same needle

At that time, you must consult with the healthcare provider for confirming the test.

Different kinds of HIV tests

• Rapid HIV test

This test is helpful to perform regular testing and obtain instant results. With the help of blood specimen, it can provide results within a couple of minutes. Accuracy of the test is quite high similar to that of Standard testing. If it comes out as negative then further evaluation is needed.

• Standard testing

This methodology is perfect for regular evaluation or when no rapid test is available. The basic difference between Rapid testing and Standard exam is that the latter offers results in 4-5 days of undergoing the procedure.

• Early detection

Early detection is very helpful if you come into contact to the virus recently or have unprotected sex with the partner. You can perform this test in just 10-12 days of suspecting the exposure and there is no need to wait for window period. It directly looks for the traces of virus of HIV in blood and can provide accurate result in no time.

• HIV antibody test

This screening looks for antibodies in bodily fluids from mouth, saliva, blood and urine. Antibodies are actually proteins which generated by the body for combating against several diseases including it.

However, there is a window period that refers to time duration between exposing to the virus and developing the antibodies. Generally, antibodies consume 3 month to get generated in the body of the infected person. That’s why you should perform the test once at an interval of 3 months.

• HIV antigen test

It can find out the traces of antibody along antigen in the blood. This is highly effective to find out the presence of infection before than antibody test.

Other tests to confirm HIV

If you get positive result then second test is very important. It will confirm that you have the infection. Some analysis tests for this infection are:

• Western Blot or Indirect immunofluorescence assay finds out the antibodies
• Antibody differentiation test varies from HIV 2 and 1
• HIV- 1 nucleic acid which detects the infection

Testing in pregnant women

Each pregnant woman needs to perform HIV test for early detection so that it doesn’t pass to the kid. In case you are planning to have a baby then perform HIV test in advance.

If a pregnant woman develops the infection then start the medication as early as possible. By this way, you can ensure that there is alleviated risk to transfer the virus to the kid making sure that the whole pregnancy is healthy and complications-free.

Home testing kit for HIV

In case there is any suspicion of HIV then you can choose the confidential testing method. The home testing kit helps in performing 2 kinds of test. The primary one involves finger prick to collect blood sample.

Then, it needs to send to lab for the test. You can get the results within a couple of days. If the report turns out as positive then you need to perform follow-up evaluations.

The second testing type involves the stick and tube. The test stick will help in swab the gums to collect the oral liquid sample. To get correct result, the test stick needs to insert into the tube to get the result within 20 minutes.

If your result is positive then you need to confirm it again by undergoing additional tests. You need to go to the lab to avail HIV test report and review it by the healthcare practitioner.

Is HIV test confidential?

Yes, it is possible to procure testing in discreet manner. But it never means that the results will not mark by the name. Instead, the test result along with the name and information will remain to the people you are informed about. It is necessary for analysing and test results and medical records.

Even you need to send the positive HIV test report to state health department so that they add it in medical records. During that, the department will never mention any personal information of the patient like age, name and others. Even the centre will not share any such information with any testing unit or other organisation.

Apart from this, you can opt for anonymous testing too in which there is no need to mention the name and you can perform the test directly. After the analysis, the results will offer as per the number. This particular number will serve as identity and medical records along with results will store and share as per the number.

Where can you visit for HIV test?

When you are looking for same day HIV testing in London visit your nearest healthcare provider, they will guide you about HIV and other STIs. In case, you want to perform the test on your own to know if there is any infection or not then various units are there such as:

• Pregnant women can visit any antenatal centre
• Sexual health centre and genitourinary medicine clinics
• Private clinic
• Local pharmacy that offers testing services
• Young people and contraception clinics
• Clinical centres run by charitable institutions

What should you expect from the test?

HIV test is completely painless! However you need to stay strong mentally and don’t feel anxious at all. It involves collection of blood sample or oral fluids; sometimes both need for analysis. In case, it comes negative then you need to retest after 3 months. Book an appointment online and start your treatment today.