[Question #8685] Anxious about this

41 months ago

Good afternoon,

Im terribly sorry to bother you again. It has come to my attention that i'm pretty anxious about all this, so i will address this anxiety once i get out of quarantaine.

I had an exposure about 3,5 months ago, got tested last week with an hiv antibody test, i tested negative. I also had an exposure to covid, about 8 days before my hiv antibody test. So i got a pcr test for covid, the same day as my hiv test. The covid test was positive. I had/have no symptoms for covid. Im worryying about the exposure time to covid.. Is my negative hiv antibody test still conclusive?

Thanks for this service,

Ann

Edward W. Hook M.D.

41 months ago

I am not sure of the origins of your anxiety or why you have repeated your question. The answers, which are science-based, are not going to change. I hope you have not been going to the internet for information. The internet is full of misinformation because much of the information is taken out of context, is out of date, or reflects the sorts of misinformation that is all too common on the internet. If there is something more of concern, please let me know rather than just repeating questions which have already been answered. To recount:

1. You state you were exposed, without providing more information, about 3.5 months. Even if your partner was HIV infected and untreated, your risk of infection is less than 1 in one thousand per exposure (i.e. 0.1% - in other words, chances are 99.9% you would not have been infected). If you do not know your partner's HIV status, it is statistically unlikely that he/she was infected.

2. 3.5 months after exposure you had an HIV antibody test. Tests for HIV antibodies are CONCLUSIVE 8 weeks after exposure. An antibody test performed at 3.5 months (14 weeks) is conclusive and should be believed/

3. You were exposed to COVID and tested, apparently by PCR, a test for the virus. COVID tests may give falsely positive HIV test results but are not know to give falsely negative results which is apparently what you are concerned about. The fact that you tested for COVID the same day that you had your HIV test makes no difference, the results are still conclusive.

You need to believe your test results. Really. EWH

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41 months ago

Hello doctor,

Thanks for the reply. Exposure was unprotected intercourse with a guy don't know about his status. Im a girl.

Just one clarification, you say that COVID tests may give falsely positive HIV test results but are not know to give falsely negative results which. I assume that 'covid tests' should just be covid?

Thanks and i will believen my test results.

Ann

Edward W. Hook M.D.

41 months ago

Correct, persons with COVID, as you have been diagnosed, are known to occasionally have falsely positive tests for HIV but not falsely negative.

As noted above, the risk for HIV from a single unprotected exposure to a male of unknown status is quite low. EWH

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