[Question #10978] Follow up Question #10972

18 months ago

Hi, I talked with Dr.Hook about HIV transmission yesterday, when I try to respond, I been blocked from website due to unknown reason, so I create another account to ask last question about HIV.

1.I tested positive in July 2023 using a self-test kit while I was in my home country in Asia. I then went to the hospital and the result was negative (I hadn’t had sex since January 2023). In December, when I tried to use the last self-test kit to convince myself that I was negative, a shadow line appeared in the test area, which made me very anxious again. However, later tests in a UK hospital and two self-collect blood tests, which were sent to a lab by post, all came back negative. In my case, am I definitely negative for HIV, and is there no need for further testing?

18 months ago

2.Also, due to my previous experience, I have serious mental health issues regarding HIV, where I constantly fear everyday contact. Besides sex or deeply injecting needles under the skin, I shouldn’t worry about catching HIV at all? For instance, in scenario where a barber's scissors scratched my forehead and blood came out, Shake hand with people have HIV or any other daily contact situations, is there no risk at all?

3.My very last question is whether the test method of self-collecting blood and sending it to a lab has the same 45-day window period as a vein blood test. Additionally, does having a different blood type make any difference?

18 months ago

Sorry if the question is a bit repetitive; I believe these are all the questions I want to ask. After ensuring that I have completely excluded the possibility of HIV infection in my case and my anxiety about catching HIV without engaging in sexual activity is more of a mental issue than a real-life exposure risk, and I believe there's no need to ask further questions or undergo additional testing and I will seek support from a psychologist..

Thank you again for guidance and help.

18 months ago

Sorry my 2 question ask blood types make difference actually mean does vein blood and fingure blood have any difference while doing hiv lab test

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

18 months ago

Welcome back. I'm sorry you had trouble adding a comment to your previous thread. On the other hand, the opportunity for comments is for clarification of the original question, and these questions go a bit farther than that. I read you previous discussion with Dr. Hook and agreee with all he said. (That thread is now closed.) Duplicate accounts are discouraged -- from now on, please stick with this one.

I'm also sorry that I do not think I can help very much. You describe an anxiety/mental health issue that happens to be focused on HIV. All we can do is provide factual information and our scientific guidance; we are not psychologists and I have no particular advice about HIV anxiety.

1. Your possible weakly positive home self test: You should ignore it. The other tests you describe prove for sure you do not have HIV. In the future, I suggest you avoid the same home self test you used before.

2. All I can say about your fears of catching HIV without intimate sexual contact or blood contact (such as sharing drug injection equipment) is that there has never been a known case of HIV acquired by a skin injury in a barber shop, or in other personal services like manicure. These facts have been known and scientifically validated for over 40 years, since the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic was recognized. If you continue to have such fears, professional counseling is the best option.

3. There are several types of HIV blood test. The ones with a 45 day window all are antigen-antibody (AgAb) tests, also called fourth generation, duo, or combo tests. The relative recent ("third generation") ntibody-only tests take somewhat longer for conclusive results, i.e. window period of 8 weeks. Some older antibody tests (second generation) require 3 months. A person's blood type makes no difference in performance of any of these tests; and tests on blood from a vein and from fingerstick are equally accurate, as long as the test type is the same.

Instead of trying to learn about the many individual test types, for maximum accuracy and confidence, I recommend always having a lab-based AgAb test, either from fingerstick or venipuncture. However, you should only test after a genuine exposure, such as unprotected sex. Do not test after a skin injury in a barber shop, for example.

I hope these replies are somewhat helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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18 months ago

Dear Dr. Hunter

Thank you for reply. my purpose of asking the question is to ask for help from psycologist afte make sure I have no risk of having HIV in scientific perspective. So In conclusion of my case, Firstly, even my self test paper was once positive I can confident to say the test paper is incorrect since three times of lab Ab/Ag test which has far greater sensitiveity compared with self test paper are all negative and I am for sure do not have HIV. Secondly the concern of getting HIV beside having sex andsharing needle is absolutely impossible from and been scientificly verified, so my fear is inscientific and without dangerous sex and inject drugs, I have no need for thinking, further asking question and testing HIV anymore in my future life? Thank you so much for the assistence and respond to perhaps repeated question, the false positve result did make me so anxius.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

18 months ago

These statements all are correct. I'm glad you correctly understand everything.---

18 months ago

Thanks! I believe this must the last time asking question and I wiil seek for mental health service.Lastly, from both theratical and practical perspective( Example of Patients), are all bloodbrone viruses including HIV ,Syphillis,Hepatitis A,B and anything else come from the method I talked ( SEX and Sharing needle ) only?

Thanks for all the Advise so far and Best Wishes

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

18 months ago

Yes, the same is true for all blood borne infections.

That concludes this thread. Thanks for your thanks: I'm glad to have helped. However, Please note the forum does not permit repeated questions on the same topic or exposure. This will have to be your last one; future new questions about such exposures, testing, and your fears about HIV will receive no reply and the posting fee will not be refunded. This policy is based on compassion, not criticism, and is intended to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers. In addition, experience shows that continued answers tend to prolong users' anxieties rather than reducing them. Finally, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. Thanks for your understanding. Best wishes and stay safe.

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