[Question #9301] risk from cut wound from unknown source

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34 months ago

Hi doctors


My english is not that good, please forgive me. I am a 25 year old man living in China. I am straight. I did not do any sex nor drug. My fear is about some recent cuts on my body that I do not known how and when they are caused. This forum does not allow to post pictures, so I try my best to describe the cuts. One week ago I found one on my chest/lower neck area. Two days ago I found another two on my right wrist. These cuts are very obvious. They are around 5 cm and look like thoses scratched or punctured by some sort of sharp object, and the skin around them are red and broken. There are dry blood in these cuts, and when I touch them or wash them, they can be prickling. I dont know if they can be viewed as superficial cuts because there were pus and blood in them when I found them. I thought superficial cut are those small scrapes that dont bleed. 


I really do not know how they are caused. At the time I saw them, they were already there, and they looked fresh because they did not scab by then, (now they are scabbed) The skin were red and broken around them. Since I don’t know the source of these cuts/wounds, I fear that what if they are caused by something with blood on it, and how long they stay on my skin.  I understand that outside environment does not have HIV virus because they can be dead when exposed to air. I just fear if they are closely contacted or rubbed or pressed by something with contanminated blood. (To be honest, I know it sounds irrational and silly, but I cant help fear that someone who is infected tries to do that to me, or have their wounds or blood contact my skin....I say this because I really dont know how these cuts are caused, sorry)


Doctors, may I ask: 

1. Do you think my cuts/wound are risky? Do I need test? I really hope the forum allows uploading pictures, so you can see my cuts. I promise they are not those small scrapes...but I dont know how to further describe.


2. In terms of the size and depth, what kind of cut or wound are risky? I read in one of your previous posts that you metioned “deep” cuts.  I don’t know what exactly is a deep cut, like stiches are needed? Have you seen cases caused by that?


3. Are there any cases are caused by random cuts/wounds in daily life?  Have you seen or aware of any?  


I swear to god I had not done sex nor drug. I just fear these random events, especially when they are related to blood. Because I read your previous posts saying that as long as you dont have unprotected sex nor share IV drugs, you will not have risk. According to this statement, do you mean HIV is something which the risk is up to us, because we can decide whether to do it or not?  I feel helpless because I definately did not do the two risky behaviors, but if it is caused by some daily random events like cuts or wounds that I have no clue at all, it is just so passive and I just cannot control it. Sorry if the questions sound silly, I am really scared and paranoid. Thank you very much for your understanding.

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your question.

Nobody ever gets HIV without having the standard risks that are known to them. To my knowledge, just getting a cut from an unknown source has never been reported as the source of someone's HIV infection. Even people who get cuts in the vicinity of HIV infected blood never get it:  for blood to transmit HIV by an injury, blood must enter a deep wound, made with a sharp object with visible wet blood on it.

Those comments pretty well answer your questions, but to assure no misunderstanding:

1. No, these wounds carried zero risk for HIV and you do not need testing.

2. Explained above. A "deep" cut is one that goes all the way through the skin and, if more than 2-3 cm in length, requires stitches.

3. As I said above, no such HIV cases have ever been known to occur.

Please try not to worry about such things. As long as you are not having sex or sharing drug injection equipment with other people, you will never get HIV. Even if these behaviors occur in the future, they can be done safely with virtually 100% protection against HIV, such as having a single uninfected sex partner, condoms for sex, etc.

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

HHH, MD
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33 months ago
Hi doctor, 
Thank you for your response. I have few questions and they might be long, sorry for the inconvenience. 

I tried to search online images similar to the cut on my chest/lower neck area, and this seems to be what it looked like when I found it. 
(https://tse4-mm.cn.bing.net/th/id/OIP-C.6agAxhpSDkxmFYmDO5cVUgHaC2?pid=ImgDet&rs=1) 

For the two cuts on my right wrist, it looked like this,  3-5 cm, with dry blood and pus inside. The skin around them were broken.
(https://tse3-mm.cn.bing.net/th/id/OIP-C.VDxtpeACGvD9nWU93idM6gHaFc?pid=ImgDet&rs=1)

In terms of the "deep cut" you mentioned in your response, do you mean something like this? 
(https://tse2-mm.cn.bing.net/th/id/OIP-C.7uIW7VS7J_R1HLkPzjBPDQHaFj?pid=ImgDet&rs=1)

Doctor, would you be 100% sure that the cuts on my body from unknown source have no risk and no tests are needed?  If you found some random and unknown cuts on your body like this, what would you do and would you be worried for the risks? 

I apologize for asking like this because I really don't know when and how the cuts happened and I am very paranoid because in few weeks there is going to be a medical examination for my new job and it will include HIV. I really worry something related to the risk would happen and ruin my examination. I don't know what to do now. I swear I am straight and I didnt do any sex nor drug. If infection happens I just don't know how to prove I am innoncent. Sorry if my word sounds irrational and coward...Thank you very much for your understanding.


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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
33 months ago
The appearance of your cuts makes no difference; I have not looked at any of the links. In the 40 years of the known worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic, nobody in the world has been known to have caught HIV from a cut. "When and how" your cuts appeared makes no difference in whether or not you have HIV.

Since you're worried, you should have an HIV test; given your sexual and drug use history, you can expect a negative result. If you get tested soon and would like to post the result, I will be happy to have one final comment, but I will have nothing more to say until then. Do it within a week; after that this thread will be closed.
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