[Question #10451] oraquick accuracy
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22 months ago
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Hi Doc, hope you are doing well.
Recently I heard that my girlfriend had unprotected sex with her ex-bf a year ago (Oct, 2022), in that case I asked her to use oraquick to test couple days ago, followed the instructions, result came out negative. I have not had sex with her yet. I am just curious is the result from oraquick conclusive after such a long time? Does she need to be tested in a laboratory setting or is oraquick good enough? I heard that oraquick is supposedly equally accurate, just takes longer, is that true?
Thank you for your time.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
22 months ago
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welcome back to the Forum. I'm pleased you've not needed our service for about a year.
The OraQuick is our least favorite test, mostly because it occasionally misses very early infections (which, are in themselves rare). Statistically the performance of the OraQuick is equivalent to other 3rd generation tests for HIV antibodies. The OraQuick is essentially a 3rd generation of the test that we have discussed in prior posts. If your GF had been infected a year ago, her OraQuick would have been positive. there is no need for additional testing. Believe her results. She does not have HIV. EWH
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22 months ago
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hi again Dr. Hook, thank you for your reply! You had been great help and I had been feeling much better. Just to confirm if I am interpreting your answer correctly: oraquick is as conclusive as a laboratory test after a certain time (i.e.. 3 months) ?
Also just to confirm, if one does not perform unprotected sex, drug dealing, and lives a normal life, he or she should not be concerned with infecting hiv at all? I had been feeling confident last year, yet i still sometimes feel concerned getting poked or infected via daily events.
Thanks again.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
22 months ago
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Correct, the OraQuick results are conclusive.
Also correct about measures to avoid HIV , I.e. no unprotected sex, no use of injected drugs, and living a normal life. EWH
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22 months ago
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hi doc sorry to bother again. But i do have one additional question regarding oraquick:
As noted in the package insert, clinical studies have shown that the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test has an expected performance of approximately 92% for test sensitivity (i.e., the percentage of results that will be positive when HIV is present). This means that one false negative result would be expected out of every 12 test results in HIV infected individuals. The clinical studies also showed that the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test has an expected performance of 99.98% for test specificity (i.e., the percentage of results that will be negative when HIV is not present). This means that one false positive result would be expected out of every 5,000 test results in uninfected individuals.
this is what i read on fda. In that case isnt 92% a relatively low and risky stat in terms of sensitivity? How in that case can oraquick be a conclusive test result after 3 months? I am just being curious and want to make sure that my gf is in safe spot. Thank you in advance, I hope you have a great one.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
22 months ago
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Your question is repetitive. As I said earlier, "The OraQuick is our least favorite test, mostly because it occasionally misses very early infections (which, are in themselves rare)." Further out timewise, the test misses positives at a rate statistically similar to that of other 3rd generation tests. The way the FDA calculates HIV performance is complex.
As you know, we provide up to three responses to each client's questions. This is my 3rd response. There should be no need for you to return to the Forum with additional questions. EWH
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