[Question #8521] PEP Patient Update - Dr. HHH

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43 months ago
Hello Doctors,

I’m sorry to be back. After sessions of therapy, it has became obvious to me that I have been sexually assaulted which has been the main reason driving my anxiety. The person took advantage of me and this led me feeling that hiv was an inevitable outcome to my encounter and the main reason I refused to believe the reassurance that the person is clean. 

I wanted to follow-up again and ask the question:

1- Do you recommend I get tested again at the six month point to completely eliminate doubt on HIV? Why do some experts recommend even testing 6 months after Pep (as seen in posts by dr HHH)
2- could the CDC, BASHH, the Canadian regulation and nccc pep line be misguided advising testing 12 weeks after exposure for PEP patient? 
3- is it realistic to get HCV through heterosexual encounters? If so, does this delay conclusive testing for hiv?

My testing so far has been negative:
1- AgAb lab 4 weeks after exposure 
2- PCR RNA 4 weeks after exposure 
3- AgAb lab 8.5 weeks after exposure
4- Alere AgAb Rapid 15.5 weeks after exposure
5- AgAb lab 17.5 weeks after exposure

Is this testing sufficient to exclude HIV?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
43 months ago
I'm sorry, but you have been warned about repetitive anxiety-driven questions. These questions have been answered, or the answers are obvious from your several previous discussions. I'm sorry you now have recalled a stressful sexual assault -- but of course the nature of an exposure does not change the reliability of HIV testing.  Your test results are conclusive.

1. No. Do not have any more tests.
2. No.
3. Heterosexual transmission of HCV is extraordinarily rare. Even if you had HCV, it would not alter the conclusiveness of your negative HIV test results.

There will be no opportunity for discussion, and future questions along these lines will not have even this much reply but will be deleted without reply and without refund of the testing fee. ASHA does not wish to collect fees for questions with obvious answers, and such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes.

Thank you for your understanding. I do hope the several discussions, and these answers, finally allow you to move on without worry. Best wishes.

HHH, MD
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