[Question #8739] Panicking

40 months ago

Hi,

Where do i start.. thank you for providing this service, i hope it can ease my mind.

I had an exposure about two and a half years ago to a man. Then covid started and it kind of went out of my mind. I got tested last week for hiv, it was a hiv antibody test and it was negative. No other blood tests were performed Because i had to go visit someone who is a Risk patiënt for covid, i asked the doctor to also perform a covid pcr test on me (i was there anyway for my hiv test). That pcr covid test was positive, which freaked me out because i had and still havent got any symptoms, so it was quite frightening for me. I have been to a work gathering about 8 days before the test so i guess that's where it came from.

Onto my personal question. Can the covid interfere with an antibody test? Maybe make the antibodies to hiv undetectable or something because of covid antigens? Or can i be completely sure that i AM hiv negative?

Thank you

Edward W. Hook M.D.

40 months ago

Welcome to our Forum. Thanks for your questions. I'll be glad to comment. While COVID-19 can do many things, one of the things it does not do is make tests for HIV (or other STIs) negative in infected persons. There are a few instances in which COVID has been associated with falsely positive tests for HIV but even these are quite uncommon.. In the situation you describe, an infection acquired over two years ago would have resulted in a positive test. You can have complete confidence in your negative test for HIV. You were not infected in the encounter you describe above.

I hope you are weathering your COVID well. Please don't worry about HIV from the encounter you described. EWH

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40 months ago

Hi doctor Hook,

Thank you for replying. I feel way better now.

I never got and i still havent got any symptoms of covid. So im actually quite happy i asked to be tested for covid because i would have been devastated if i infected my Friend who is at Risk for covid .

Could i just clarify one thing? You say that covid does not make hiv antibody tests negative in infected people. By infected people you mean hiv-infected people? So covid does not cause false negative results for hiv with an antibody test for hiv?

I can be fully sure i'm negative for hiv? Thank you so much!

Edward W. Hook M.D.

40 months ago

Sorry if my response was unclear. Yes, I meant that persons infected with COVID-19 will still have reliable HIV test results for the purpose of ruling out the possibility of HIV. You can have complete confidence in your test results for HIV. Please don’t worry. EWH---

40 months ago

Hello dr Hook,

I've got a few more questions, making use of my third question.

1. I was informed that the exposure that i had for covid, which led to my covid infection, was 6 days before my negative hiv antibody test and my positive covid pcr test. Does that (timing of exposure to covid) affect the reliability of my hiv antibody test? Can i still have complete trust in my negative hiv result?

2. having a covid infection does not produce false negatives in an hiv antibody test. Am i correct?

Thanks!

Edward W. Hook M.D.

40 months ago

State to your follow=ups:

The timing of your exposure and infection by COVID-19 in no way impacts the reliability of your tests. I urge you to believe your results.

2. Corre3ct

Take care. Please don't worry. EWH

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