What can I do to get HIV negative? If the HIV test result is negative: what does this mean and could there be an error. Where to get an AIDS test

Procedure for testing for HIV infection

The main method of detecting HIV infection is testing for HIV antibodies. Testing for HIV infection (including anonymous) is carried out in medical institutions all forms of ownership with the informed consent of the patient in strict confidentiality, and in the case of examination of minors under the age of 14 years - at the request or with the consent of his legal representative. Testing is voluntary and is carried out with mandatory pre- and post-test counseling on HIV prevention issues.

The following are subject to mandatory medical examination for HIV infection:

Donors of blood, blood plasma, sperm and other biological fluids, tissues and organs (including sperm).
Pregnant women.
Children born to HIV-infected mothers.
The following employees are subject to mandatory medical examination to detect HIV infection upon entry to work and during periodic medical examinations:

Doctors, paramedical and junior medical staff of centers for the prevention and control of AIDS, health care institutions, specialized departments and structural divisions of health care institutions, engaged in direct examination, diagnosis, treatment, service, as well as conducting forensic medical examinations and other work with persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus, having direct contact with them;
Doctors, paramedical and junior medical personnel of laboratories (groups of laboratory personnel) who screen the population for HIV infection and study blood and biological materials obtained from persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus;
Scientists, specialists, employees and workers of scientific research institutions, enterprises (productions) for the production of medical immunobiological preparations and other organizations whose work is related to materials containing the human immunodeficiency virus;
Medical workers in surgical hospitals (departments) upon entry to work and subsequently once a year;

Persons passing military service and those entering military educational institutions and military service under conscription and contract, when conscripted for compulsory military service, when entering service under a contract, when entering military universities of ministries and departments that establish restrictions for the admission to service of persons with HIV infection;
Foreign citizens and stateless persons when applying for a citizenship permit or residence permit, or work permit in Russian Federation, when entering the territory of the Russian Federation foreign citizens for a period of more than 3 months.

Patients with a number of clinical indications indicating the presence of HIV.
Patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis: drug addiction, sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis B, C, pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Vulnerable groups of the population: homo- and bisexuals, commercial sex workers, clients of commercial sex workers, persons with promiscuity (promiscuity), persons in prison.
Recipients of blood products.
Persons who have sexual contact with HIV-infected people or those with sexually transmitted infections.
Healthcare workers who received microtraumas while performing their professional duties.
Patients who were injured while assisting medical worker.
Family members of HIV-infected patients.

REMEMBER: Consent or refusal to be tested for HIV should not affect the quality of medical care.

Possible test results and “seronegative window” period:

Positive test result means that a person has antibodies to HIV. This gives reason to believe that the person is HIV-infected. A doctor's consultation is required.
Negative test result means that no antibodies to HIV have been detected. However, a negative test result for antibodies to HIV may not always mean that a person is not infected, since there is a “seronegative window” period. To produce antibodies in quantities sufficient for their detection by the test system, it takes the body from two weeks to three months (in rare cases). cases up to a year). This period of time is called "window period". Testing during this period may give a negative result, so the test should be repeated. IN "window period" the blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk of an infected person already contain enough virus to infect other people.
Uncertain (doubtful) test result: It is necessary to conduct repeated tests for antibodies to HIV by immune or line blot after 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months. If negative ELISA results are obtained, then further research is not required. If, 6 months after the first examination, indeterminate results are again obtained, and the patient does not have risk factors for infection and clinical symptoms of HIV infection, the result is regarded as a false positive. Moreover, if there are epidemiological and clinical indications, studies are carried out repeatedly as prescribed by the attending physician or epidemiologist. Until the final result of HIV testing is known, recommendations for behavior change are the same as for those who test positive.

The results of the study are not communicated over the phone,
but only during a personal conversation with the subject.

Pre-test and post-test counseling

Pre-test and post-test counseling conducted at the AIDS Center is far from a formal procedure. This is not education or condemnation of the patient’s behavior that led to infection, but a reasonable analysis of the current situation and correction of further behavior, including risky ones. Every year this is about 2600-2700 pre-test and 3400-3500 post-test consultations. The quality of the consultation depends, among other things, on the patient’s subsequent desire to be observed at the AIDS Center and his commitment.

Every year, the Center prevents about 180-240 cases thanks to the counseling provided to people who come after casual sexual contacts or practice other forms of risky behavior.

The waiting period for test results may be great value for a person to make a decision to change risky behavior. During this period, many people for the first time think about HIV as a personal problem and realize the need for behavior change, so the possibilities of pre-test counseling should be fully used to prevent HIV infection.

Pre-test counseling

Pre-test HIV counseling is a dialogue between a patient and a professional to discuss an HIV test and the possible consequences of knowing one's HIV status. . This counseling leads to an informed decision to take the test or not to take the test.

During the conversation before testing for HIV, the following questions should be covered:

Behaviors associated with risk of HIV infection
benefits of testing, including the range of care available to people who test positive for HIV
HIV transmission routes, prevention measures; testing procedure
possible consequences of finding out your HIV status (for personal life, practical conclusions)
procedure for obtaining informed consent for testing
procedure for issuing test results
ways to get further help

As a result of pre-test counseling, the patient:

receives information about HIV infection, HIV antibody testing, HIV prevention measures, possible consequences testing
receives an objective assessment of the risk of contracting HIV infection in his life
makes a conscious decision to undergo testing for HIV antibodies
considers the possibilities of changing their HIV risk behavior

At the end of the consultation, the following questions are discussed with the patient:

What test result does he expect and why?
What will he do if he does not get the result he expects?
What will change in his life if the result is positive?
What will change in his life if the result turns out to be negative?

Post-test counseling

Study results are not communicated over the phone. Post-test counseling is a dialogue between the patient and a professional to discuss the results of an HIV test, provide relevant information, provide support and referral to other professionals, and to promote behavior that reduces the risk of infection if the test results are negative or reduces the risk of HIV transmission others if they are positive. The test result may be negative, indeterminate, or positive.

Post-test counseling if the result is negative carried out taking into account the patient’s risk of HIV infection. To the patient low risk regarding HIV infection, the doctor recalls the basic information provided before testing, discusses the least dangerous behavior in relation to HIV infection and offers support in the form of further visits, possible telephone calls in order to reinforce the attitude towards safe behavior.

With the patient high risk For HIV infection, the clinician should discuss the significance of the result, repeat basic information provided prior to testing, remind the patient of the existence of a window period, and recommend retesting in 3 to 6 months. The doctor should also return to the issue of the least risky behavior in relation to HIV infection, discuss the need to use condoms, and - if there is a history of drug use - draw the patient's attention to the need to maintain the sterility of injection equipment.

If blood is tested for antibodies to HIV method immunoblotting there is a possibility of obtaining uncertain result because of

errors when administering the test;
the patient has other acute and chronic diseases;
phenomena of seroconversion.

If an indeterminate result is obtained, the doctor should discuss with the patient the reasons and significance of the result obtained, recommend repeating the test, recommend adopting behavior that is less dangerous in terms of HIV transmission, and refer the patient to an AIDS center for further observation.

ABOUT positive result The patient is informed of the HIV test by the doctor who ordered the examination.

When reporting a positive test result, the consultant

communicates the result clearly and concisely;
provides time for the message to sink in;
assesses the patient's reaction to the message about the presence of antibodies to HIV;
listens to the patient's thoughts and concerns regarding their diagnosis;
listens to the patient's story about feelings regarding HIV infection;
explains that the issue of the patient’s prospects will be discussed in more detail after completion of the examination at the AIDS center;
explains in in simple words what HIV is, how it affects the immune system, the difference between HIV infection and AIDS;
explains that the diagnosis of HIV infection and the stage of the disease will be finally determined at the center for the prevention and control of AIDS by an infectious disease specialist based on clinical, epidemiological and laboratory data;
draws attention to the importance of following the least dangerous behavior in relation to HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases, which can suppress the immune system and contribute to the progression of the disease; recommends using condoms when sexual contacts When using drugs, use disposable syringes and needles, without sharing them with other users, monitor the sterility of the drug solution and the container from which it is drawn;
explains the responsibility for changing behavior to avoid transmitting HIV to others;

Thus, counseling when testing for HIV antibodies is not only mandatory, but also in an efficient way individual preventive work with people on HIV infection issues. Many people think about this disease for the first time in relation to themselves, realize the individual level of risk, receive necessary information, i.e. take the first step towards behavior change.

Skilled counseling also helps people cope when they test positive and thus makes a significant contribution to the prevention of suicide and other acts of despair.

Positive result

What does it mean?

If you donated blood for HIV at an AIDS Center, hospital or clinic, a positive result from such a test means that your blood contains antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus. Antibodies are produced by the body to fight infections (viruses or bacteria) that have entered the body. The presence or absence of antibodies in a person is used to determine the presence or absence of a particular disease. That is, a positive HIV test result indicates that you have this virus in your blood.

Could this be a mistake?

Although the possibility of error cannot be ruled out, modern methods diagnostics are very accurate and reliable. Much attention is paid to blood testing for HIV, and doctors' efforts are aimed at eliminating erroneous results.

In our AIDS Center you can discuss with a peer consultant questions you are interested in on Monday from 16 to 20 hours, on Tuesday from 9 to 12 hours or on Wednesday from 16 to 20 hours (office No. 2). Information about support and mutual aid groups is listed below.

How will my life proceed now?

A newcomer with HIV-positive status has to get used to changes in his life. He now needs to regularly visit an infectious disease doctor at the AIDS Center, get tested and receive treatment. When a person starts taking ART, he should develop the habit of taking pills on time and not skipping medications. Particular attention is also paid to precautionary measures that are designed to protect the patient himself and those with whom he comes into contact from possible transmission of HIV. For example, HIV-positive people need to sunbathe with caution, try to avoid stress of any kind, and have to give up some foods that are now contraindicated for them. When having sexual intercourse, you must use a condom. If an HIV-positive person requires medical care, in the event that a doctor or other health care worker will have to come into contact with the patient's blood (such as during surgery), the doctor should be informed of his positive HIV status. You can read more about measures to prevent HIV transmission in other sections of our website. These are the main features of living with HIV. Otherwise, life with HIV is completely identical in quality and duration to life without the virus. HIV-positive people have equal rights and opportunities with other people, they can start a family with any partner, give birth and raise children, live a full and long life, provided they receive the necessary treatment.

Support and mutual aid groups for people living with HIV:

1. Group for PLHIV (general)

weekly on Thursdays from 19.30

Fund for the assistance of people living with HIV "AIDS.CENTER"

Moscow, st. Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya, 11, building 1, office 13, Kurskaya metro station

tel. +7 925 732 81 37,+7 969 118 49 34

2. Group for HIV-positive MSM

weekly on Tuesdays from 19.30

Project LaSky

Moscow, st. Myasnitskaya, 46/2, building 1, office 325 m. Krasnye Vorota

No medical testing to date can provide an absolutely reliable result. To confirm the final diagnosis, information from several laboratory tests must be taken into account. This applies even to complex studies of the patient’s biomaterial, such as serological methods, PCR and others. A false positive HIV test is especially difficult from a psychological point of view. What could influence this result? What should a patient do if he receives such a printout of his blood test? All the answers are in our article.

Consequences of an error

A false positive HIV test and making a mistake can lead to many irreversible consequences. For example, highly active antiretroviral treatment prescribed for this disease provokes the development of serious side effects and can cause dysfunction internal organs.

The moral aspect is no less difficult. A person can lose family, friends, loved ones, even the desire to live.

Let's look at what to do if you receive a false positive HIV test result.

Retest

A repeated blood test is the only way to avoid mistakes and put an end to the diagnosis. If the virus is detected during a repeat study, the patient has no choice but to come to terms with the harsh reality and begin treatment immediately.

The probability of error, according to statistics, is approximately 0.01%, but in reality this indicator much higher.

Reasons

False-positive HIV tests are quite common in women during pregnancy. Women who have had multiple births are at particular risk. This phenomenon occurs due to a serious hormonal imbalance during pregnancy.

The reasons for a false positive HIV test in men are:

Cross-type allergic reactions.
Recent vaccinations.
Presence of influenza or hepatitis virus in the body at the time of the study.
Inflammation of small vessels in the body.
Transplantation of internal organs.
Increased concentration of bilirubin in the blood.
Oncological diseases.
Various forms of sclerosis.
Increased thickness or poor blood clotting.
Autoimmune liver pathologies.
Tuberculosis.
Any infectious diseases.

In women, the period of menstrual bleeding should be added to this list.

Human factor

One of the reasons for a false-positive HIV test may be a trivial human factor, which no one has yet canceled. We are talking about an elementary mistake made by a laboratory assistant directly when conducting research or when maintaining documentation. There have even been cases where health workers have mixed up tubes or labeled them incorrectly.

Any viral or infectious disease can lead to a false-positive HIV test. Sometimes a person does not suspect that other viruses (except HIV) are present in his body; for example, he is in the incubation period of a disease. In this case, the test result may be incorrect. There are also situations when a person was sick, for example, with the flu, and was treated. He no longer has symptoms but has not yet recovered. If you take an HIV test during this period, the result may be false positive. It is recommended to conduct such laboratory tests only one and a half months after recovery. This will help you be confident in making an adequate diagnosis.

The reasons for a false-positive HIV test in women have their own nuances. Representatives of the fairer sex have an incredibly complex body structure. The operation of some of its systems may present unwanted surprises.

Pregnancy

Factors in obtaining a false-positive HIV test during pregnancy in women (with the exception of ongoing hormonal changes) are divided into two main categories:

Synthesis of female and male genetic biomaterials (combination of sperm and egg) during the birth of new life in the body, which leads to the formation of foreign DNA. Reacting to such changes, the immune system begins to produce its own antibodies. During testing, this can lead to a false positive HIV test in pregnant women.
A stressful condition that is often observed in women during pregnancy. The likelihood of a false-positive HIV test during pregnancy increases in the presence of multiple psychological problems.

Women during this period are examined several times throughout the entire nine months of fetal development. Timely detection of this infection helps to take a number of measures that are necessary to protect the unborn baby and prevent it from becoming infected during childbirth or breastfeeding.

It is better to know in advance about the reasons for false-positive HIV tests in men and women, so as not to panic later.

Basic rules for conducting laboratory research

ELISA analysis is considered the most accurate. Its error is up to 1%, but it is carried out this study 6-12 weeks from the date of suspected infection. During the incubation period, the result will be negative (false negative) or questionable.

PCR can be performed as early as 10-14 days after possible infection, but the accuracy of this analysis is only 80-85%. Therefore, if a positive answer is received, the patient is prescribed additional studies.

The list of basic rules for conducting the analysis procedure in HIV-infected patients includes:

If a person is infected with HIV, then he needs to take a test once every three months. general analysis blood. Such a measure allows a specialist to track the dynamics of the progression of the pathological process, adjust and draw up therapeutic regimens.
To obtain the most correct results when collecting venous blood, it is necessary to create the same conditions. For greater accuracy of research, the procedure must be carried out in the same specialized medical laboratory.
Blood donation to detect antibodies produced by the body in relation to HIV is carried out in the morning. This is due to the fact that at the beginning of the day the concentration of red blood cells increases in people.

Consultation on the implementation of blood sampling procedures, preparation and interpretation of research results can be obtained at a public or private clinic, as well as specialized AIDS centers.

Express testing

Portable tests for determining antibodies to HIV at home are a simple and quick way to find out about the presence of this infection in the body. Today, special kits are widely used for testing blood, urine and saliva without contacting medical specialists.

The main disadvantage of rapid testing is the high probability of errors (compared to other diagnostic methods). People without medical training may misuse or interpret results, which contributes to false-positive diagnoses.

The frequency of such responses during rapid testing is approximately 1%. The result obtained after the initial study is usually not enough to make a correct diagnosis.

Such testing is carried out as follows: biological material is placed in a special container that contains a reagent. After this, you must wait 15-20 minutes to receive an answer.

Modern portable devices give 3 options: negative, positive or questionable result.

The last answer can be observed during the incubation period, when the growth and reproduction of the virus is just beginning, so the concentration of antibodies is relatively low. To make a diagnosis, you need to contact a specialized laboratory.

How to prepare for the test

Laboratory tests to detect antibodies to HIV are carried out on an empty stomach. There should be a time interval of at least 8 hours between the collection of venous blood and the last meal.

When preparing to take an HIV test, you must observe:

Special drinking regimen. Only drinking non-carbonated water is allowed. Avoid drinking tea, coffee, sugar-containing, alcoholic and other drinks.
A special diet that involves avoiding fatty, fried and spicy foods the day before the HIV test.
Stressful situations, physical fatigue, injuries and the use of antibacterial medications should be avoided.

If you adhere to the above rules, you can ensure maximum reliability of laboratory test results.

in the laboratory

HIV tests performed in special laboratory conditions are considered the only basis for confirming the diagnosis. The procedure is carried out openly or anonymously. Blood collection takes only a few minutes.

This test must be taken if there is any suspicion of infection (for example, during unprotected sexual intercourse with an unfamiliar partner or after using unsterile medical equipment).

Types of analyzes

If HIV is suspected, the following tests are carried out:

through which the presence of antibodies of the immune system is established. In fact, the analysis identifies suspicious and healthy cells.
Immunoblotting - serum obtained by isolating red blood cells and plasma from venous blood is studied for the presence of antibodies. This is a more effective and reliable method, however, it does not give a 100% accurate result.
PCR is a study that allows you to detect the DNA of viruses or its fragments. Its advantage is the detection of the virus in the early stages - even before the formation of antibodies. This test has a large margin of error when determining whether a person is infected or not. If infection is confirmed, the dynamics of changes during therapy are monitored using PCR.

Decoding the results

The results of different diagnostic methods differ somewhat, but when three main groups of proteins are identified, the doctor makes a positive diagnosis.

Decoding the results:

People infected with HIV tend to have lymphocytosis - a high number of lymphocytes. When deciphering an HIV study, a deviation of this indicator from the norm can be observed by a factor of two. The norm is 25-40% of the total number of leukocytes or 1.2-3×109/l in absolute numbers. With AIDS, lymphopenia develops, which is caused by the death of T-lymphocytes.
An important indicator for HIV is ESR. Patients with this pathology are characterized by a pronounced increase in this value. The norm for men is 1-10 mm/h, for women - 2-15 mm/h.
With HIV, there is a decrease in hemoglobin, as a result of which the patient develops severe forms of anemia. The norm for women is 120-140 g/l, for men - 130-160 g/l.
Another characteristic indicator for patients with immunodeficiency is a reduced platelet count, which can lead to bleeding. The norm is 150-400×109/l in adults.

This disease is an inflammation of the liver in acute or chronic form. With this pathology, there is some strain on the immune system, which may explain the appearance of a false-positive HIV test result. If hepatitis is acute, then an erroneous result is almost guaranteed, since during this period there is huge amount various antibodies that distort the result of laboratory analysis. For chronic hepatitis, the study is carried out during a stable period of remission, when there are no signs of acute inflammation in the blood.

We looked at whether an HIV test could be a false positive.

Most people who pass, for various reasons, HIV test, always hope for negative indicators. But sometimes it happens that an uninfected person has a positive result, which causes a lot of worry. Why do unreliable results occur, and how to avoid them?

Detection of infection can be done in two ways:

Determination of antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). During the study, antibodies are sorted into obviously healthy and suspicious ones, the appearance of which can distort the results.
Immunoblotting is a more thorough and reliable method. It consists of separating a mixture of antigens using electrophoresis in a special gel. Then the gel plate is treated with serum containing antibodies to the virus. The analysis is then continued using ELISA.

If the patient wishes, he can donate blood for HIV anonymously. Analysis data is processed within 3 weeks.

It is worth bringing some clarity to the terminology. AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the terminal stage of HIV infection, ending in death. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for this disease. And the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the cause of AIDS. Therefore, as such , AIDS test does not give up, and the diagnosis is made on the basis of a positive HIV test and the corresponding clinical picture.

Nevertheless, a distorted result may occur in the presence of the following diseases:

autoimmune liver diseases;
pathology of the immune system;
chronic arthritis;
the presence of various viral infections;
oncological diseases;
bleeding disorders.

Blood donors also often encounter incorrect results due to the constant renewal of blood during frequent donations.

It should be remembered that the diagnosis of HIV infection is never established by one test. If you receive positive tests, you need to retake the test after about 3 months. In the absence of infection, a new virus analysis should show a negative result.

There are test systems that allow you to carry out analysis at home. According to statistics, they are the ones who most often show false positive results. There are a number of reasons for this:

improper storage and operation of the test system;
failure to maintain sterility when collecting material;
violation of analysis technique;
accompanying conditions of the body (bad habits, unhealthy diet);
expiration of the system's shelf life.

An undoubted advantage of using home tests is maintaining anonymity.
It is not uncommon for a positive result to be found in pregnant women. This is explained by the fact that in response to implantation, the female body begins to produce antibodies, perceiving the embryo as a foreign material. Hence the incorrect test results.

If a pregnant woman has a positive test, the doctor needs to be extremely tactful to convey this unpleasant news. It is advisable to retake the test in specialized AIDS centers.

Don't forget about the human factor. Cases where tests are mixed up are not common, but they do occur. To prevent this from happening, medical personnel need to take a more responsible approach to performing their duties.

To avoid a false positive result, when donating blood you need to follow a number of rules:

A few days before donating blood, you should not smoke, drink alcohol, have an active sex life, or eat poorly.
A recent infectious disease is the reason for postponing the test by an average of a month.
It is also necessary to take into account the reception medicines, which can also distort the results.

In any case, a positive test is not a death sentence. And to avoid it, you need to follow safety measures and take care of your health.

Some people receive a false positive HIV test; the reasons for this result can vary. First of all, this may be due to the fact that the analysis was carried out at home. Errors can be made by medical personnel when the test is performed in a specialized clinic. In addition, many diseases and pathological changes in a person's health can cause the data obtained from the study to be incorrect.

Reasons for a false-positive HIV test during home testing

The developed methods that allow us to detect the presence or absence of the human immunodeficiency virus in the body give 100 percent results. However, in some cases, the data may be distorted, so they need to be double-checked. Nowadays, very often the examination is carried out at home, which gives a person the opportunity to keep the data anonymous. This study will remain confidential. However, it is precisely under such conditions that errors occur in the conduct of the study, which is why the test becomes of poor quality. To avoid such situations, it is better to conduct this study in a clinic and then get the results from the laboratory. In this case, the risk that the data will be distorted is only 0.01%. In addition, home tests may give a completely different answer.

Reasons that lead to a false positive result for HIV

Cross-reactions can lead to similar consequences. Some diseases cause such reactions. For example, a person may have an allergic reaction. In this case, antigens of a certain type are produced that will be incomprehensible to the body. In this case, the immune system recognizes them as foreign. Such antigens may cause the data to be false positive.

In addition, during pregnancy, the hormonal levels in a woman’s body change, which causes false positive data. The same applies to the period of menstruation.

If the patient has normal type ribonucleoproteins, the test result will be changed. In addition, the positive type is caused by hepatitis and influenza viruses, so it is necessary to first treat these diseases, and only then donate blood for analysis. The same applies to vaccinations that were done recently. They will interfere with the progress of the blood test. It's better to donate blood later. Such reactions can be caused by vaccination against tetanus, influenza and hepatitis B. The same applies to the tuberculosis virus. It changes the research indicator in a positive direction. The herpes virus works in much the same way. Therefore, it is better to cure all diseases that are caused by a similar virus, wait for the rehabilitation period and only then donate blood for analysis.

If you have poor clotting ability, you should also not donate blood, since the indicator will be false positive. If the patient, on the contrary, has a very thick blood, then this will affect the result. If a person very often donates blood as a donor, then it is better to wait until the amount of blood in the body is restored. Otherwise, the analysis will give a false positive result. Various types sclerosis and disturbances in the functioning of small blood vessels lead to an incorrect course of the study.

If there are problems with the respiratory system (infectious diseases), then the parameter may change. With fever, changes also appear that distort the study.

If the amount of antibodies in the blood increases or the level of bilirubin changes, then the reaction in the analysis may be positive, but this will be false data. In addition, sclerosis leads to the same results. Another disease that causes a positive indicator is cancer, therefore, with the presence of malignant tumors and other oncological diseases, it is quite difficult to determine HIV in the body.

When an organ transplant is performed, the test may give a false positive result, but this may not be true.

If a person develops autoimmune liver disease, the result will be distorted. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system begins to act against its own organs in the body, attacking them and blocking them from functioning. In general, if the regulatory processes of the immune system are disrupted, the result will be distorted, but positive. In addition, drinking alcohol can cause liver disease, which can lead to incorrect blood test results for HIV. Additionally, arthritis will act the same way.

Medical errors that cause test results to be incorrect

Quite often, situations occur when a person receives a positive result for HIV due to errors by the medical personnel themselves, although the study was carried out in a specialized institution.

A false result may be obtained due to incorrect blood sampling. Additionally, if the blood was not properly stored in the medical facility before the post-draw test was required, the data will be skewed. Such results can also be caused by transporting blood to the laboratory, which was not carried out according to the rules. Another reason that leads to a false positive result is the use of low-quality serum for analysis.

All these factors occur only because the medical personnel were negligent in their work. His incompetence may lead to distorted data.

Of course, not all medical centers make such mistakes; the risk of this is very small. However, it is better to check the data and do a repeat HIV test. At this stage of development of medical technologies, many clinics are equipped with special, latest equipment, which eliminates the risk of obtaining a false result.

How to avoid getting a false positive result when testing for HIV?

In order for the data obtained during the study to be as accurate as possible, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules. Before donating blood for analysis, you must warn your doctor that any disease may develop. In addition, it is necessary to mention all the drugs that are currently used.

The analysis should be carried out only 1.5-3 months after the suspicious contact was made.

It is better to use dietary food temporarily, stop smoking, and also not drink alcoholic beverages. In addition, you need to abstain from sexual activity 3 weeks before the tests.

Every expectant mother undergoes a lot of different tests within 9 months, including testing for HIV infection. It is a real shock for a woman to receive a positive HIV result during pregnancy. Let's try to figure out why pregnant women can have a positive HIV result in the absence of HIV infection, and what to do if the test gives false results for HIV during pregnancy.

· A cruel joke, or a questionable HIV test during pregnancy

When, at a antenatal clinic, a doctor tells a pregnant woman that she has a positive HIV test, she’s ready to fall into hysterics. Intellectually, the expectant mother understands that this cannot happen, but panic inexorably clouds her eyes. And then there’s the doctor, at best, with sympathy, and at worst, with suspicion, looking at the unfortunate woman, writing her a referral to the AIDS center. In the head of the expectant mother, thoughts are swarming that her life is over, every now and then, bumping into indignation over a misfortune that has come from nowhere? It seems like she’s not a prostitute, not a drug addict, a normal, decent woman... what will happen to the baby, what will happen to her, and how can she even tell her husband about such a thing? It’s good when the future dad is a completely adequate, reasonable person, but even his reaction is difficult to predict...

Much in this situation depends directly on the delicacy of the doctor and the woman’s awareness. Firstly, even really does not mean that it is actually in the blood. Any single HIV test, whether positive or negative, is questionable. To obtain reliable data, an HIV test must be taken several times. And of course, if a positive HIV result is obtained during pregnancy, you need to take additional tests (if the diagnosis is not confirmed, then this is a false positive result for HIV). And, secondly, false positive results for HIV in pregnant women occur quite often, due to reasons that are understandable from a medical point of view.

· Why does a false positive HIV test occur during pregnancy?

It turns out that false HIV results during pregnancy are a completely adequate reaction of the test to some processes that can occur in the body of a healthy pregnant woman. More specifically, the female body can, in some cases, produce antibodies to the developing fetus. The baby that develops in the mother’s womb is a fusion of two genetic materials, a woman and a man, and sometimes the female body can perceive this newly formed and growing DNA in it as foreign. And then the body’s defense mechanism begins to produce antibodies, which affects a positive HIV test during pregnancy.

Often, a false positive result for HIV during pregnancy occurs in women who have a history of some chronic disease.

In addition, false HIV results during pregnancy are also explained by the notorious “human factor” - no one has canceled it. Test tubes with blood could simply be mixed up, for example, or the results of a truly infected person could be included in your analysis.

As already mentioned, any HIV test done once, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not, is questionable. This is why an HIV test needs to be done several times, especially during pregnancy. In any case, a false positive test for HIV during pregnancy is better than a negative result in the presence of infection. But let's not talk about sad things.

· Consequences of a false positive result

Of course, doctors are aware that HIV tests in pregnant women are often false positive, but despite this, they are obliged to act in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. In practice, this means that the pregnant woman needs to be tested again.

At the same time, specialists at the local AIDS center are unlikely to determine whether your HIV test is false or true. A medical card will be immediately issued indicating that you are being registered at the AIDS Center for the Fight and Prevention of AIDS. We hasten to reassure you that all your suffering will be limited to the usual blood test, so you should not react to the serious expression on the face of the lady at the reception, looking at you as if you were some kind of leper.

There is nothing to be done, such minor troubles are quite possible if a false positive result on an HIV test came in the first half of your pregnancy. Much bigger problems can arise if such a diagnosis is made to a woman immediately before giving birth.

If this happens, the pregnant woman is immediately isolated without waiting for the results of a repeat test. It would be a colossal stretch to call the situation in the maternity hospital healthy, since the likelihood that the staff will understand or even think about whether the expectant mother is really HIV-infected is zero. A woman will have to be patient and courageous to survive this time and the upcoming birth, until she receives “refuting” results. In addition, mothers will not be allowed to breastfeed their newborn, at least until a new, this time negative, result comes.

· What should a woman do if she receives a false positive result for HIV?

The first and most important thing that a young mother needs to do when reporting her supposedly positive HIV test during pregnancy is to exhale and drive away panic! The Internet is filled with horror stories about women who have an abortion or jump from the roof of a 9-story building after receiving a questionable HIV test during pregnancy.

Of course, you cannot explain to everyone that such a test can give a false positive result; doctors themselves talk about the 50% accuracy of such an analysis, but sometimes behave, to put it mildly, incorrectly. Therefore, a young mother should show perseverance. You need to try to get through the next week as calmly as possible in this situation in order to wait for a repeat result. Time will pass, doubts will dissipate, and worries may affect your baby. Therefore, your main task is to remain calm and take care of your baby!

Yana Lagidna, especially for the site

And a little more about what affects a positive HIV test during pregnancy: