[Question #2119] martial arts

Avatar photo
88 months ago
sir , 
1) i want to go martial arts training . but during training there can be injuries .ia m scared that i  might get exposed to blood of others through my eyes and cuts. when i see martial art and wrestling games these people are bleeding to much sometimes. don't you think these can get hiv from like this bleeding wound??
Avatar photo
Edward W. Hook M.D.
88 months ago
Welcome to our Forum.  We get many questions from clients who are worried about the risk of HIV or hepatitis virus infection from contact with fresh cuts or blood or secretions from an infected person which are aerosolized and ingested through the eyes or nose.  Despite a possible theoretical risk, the FACT is there are no proven instances in which someone has become infected in that way.  Thus if I were you, I would not worry- I suspect that others in your class are unlikely to have HIV or hepatitis and even if someone did, there is no proven risk.  I hope this comment is helpful to you.  EWH---
Avatar photo
88 months ago
sir, 
yes you are right it is unlikely people in class has hiv .what is confusing is that i have read  some of the answered question in this site , many times  your or dr. hook tell that if fresh blood come in contact in mucous membrane or cut,  hiv can be trasmitted. i also read that people got infected through eyes from laboratory accidents where a lot of blood splashed into eyes. in martial arts there can be bleeding , if a lot of  blood gets into  eyes or cut ,there can be hiv infection. i request you please clarify ??
Avatar photo
Edward W. Hook M.D.
88 months ago
You have misread the comments on this site you refer to and the incidents that you may have read about in laboratory accidents are very rare and when they occurred, resulted from exposure to very high concentration of virus (far higher than occur with natural infections).  Other than the sorts of laboratory accidents you refer to, I an unaware of ANY occasions in which persons have acquired HIV from aerosols or splashes of the sort you describe- not in any patients of mine, not at any scientific meetings and not in the medical literature.  The blink reflex would rapidly close the eye and prevent infection when a splash would occur.  Your concern is just not a realistic concern and I would urge you not to let this worry you or prevent you from pursuing martial arts training if you wish to do so.  EWH
---
Avatar photo
88 months ago
thank you sir for clearing this , i thought laboratory accidents happened from test tube where blood collected .test tube contains small amount of blood. so. you are saying there was large amount of blood in laboratory  that caused hiv . how much blood ?? suppose i had accident , i was exposed to large  amount of blood . so can i have the chance of getting hiv??
Avatar photo
Edward W. Hook M.D.
88 months ago
 You seem to not believe me when I tell you that you are not at risk.  The  infections originating from laboratory accidents splashing material into the eye do not originate from blood exposure but from exposure to high concentration of cultured virus.  The sorts of exposures you have spoken about do not constitute a risk.    Blood exposures lead to infection when the blood is injected into tissue, not from splashes or touching.   Further it is not the amount of blood a person is exposed to but the amount of virus that is present in the blood that determines risk for infection.  This ( the amount of virus present) varies greatly from person to person depending on their stage of disease and whether or not they have been treated. Once again however I must emphasize to you that the sorts of exposures you describe are not a risk for HIV.

 This is the third reply to your repetitive, anxiety driven questions. As per forum guidelines, this will be the final reply. To this series of questions.  Further, I must remind you that additional repetitive, anxiety-driven questions similar to this one can be deleted without a response and without the return of your payment.  This thread will be closed later today.  EWH

---