If you had sex with a person carrying HIV and they passed it on to you, how long would it take for the symptoms to start manifesting themselves. And what would those symptoms be.
2006-08-24 04:16:50 · 17 answers · asked by melissa w 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ STDs
Just for the record, its a discussion we're having at work yea!?
2006-08-24 04:19:39 · update #1
After a person becomes infected with HIV, the body's immune system recognizes the virus as a foreign intruder and begins to make antibodies to the virus. Antibodies against HIV usually take 1-3 months to develop, rarely longer. Tests to determine if a person is infected with HIV check for the presence of these antibodies. The current HIV antibody blood tests detect antibodies 99% of the time within 3 months of infection.Testing in most situations involves:
1. Giving informed consent, which may require signing a form.
2. Talking before testing with a test counselor about one's sexual and drug using behaviors, ways to reduce risks for HIV transmission, the meaning of a positive or negative test result, the need for people at risk to learn their HIV serostatus, and any other questions that may come up about HIV.
3. Drawing a small amount of blood, or providing an saliva oral or urine sample.
4. For regular antibody tests, results are given in about a week either by phone or in person. Rapid testing (in which preliminary results are provided within 30-40 minutes) is becoming increasingly available.
Positive HIV antibody tests results are over 99% accurate when confirmed. Negative HIV antibody tests are over 99% accurate if it has been at least three months after a contact with exposure to a potentially HIV-infected partner. False negatives or false positives occur very rarely.
The Window Period
The time period between a person's exposure and actual infection with HIV and until HIV antibodies become detectable in blood or other fluids is called the "window period". Most people will develop antibodies detectable with the latest blood tests within 4-6 1-3 months after infection with HIV. Some people may take longer; but nearly all (>99%) will have antibodies by 3 months following infection. Therefore, we recommend that people wait 3 months from the time of the possible infection with HIV (the date of latest exposure) before being tested for HIV antibodies, and in the meantime assume that they might possible be infected. The test may not give an accurate negative result if a person gets tested too soon after a potential exposure.
2006-08-24 04:21:24 · answer #1 · answered by Capricorn82 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It takes time..may even be longer than a year. The symptoms are hard to recognize but as monitoring, you can check the blood component levels (Complete Blood Count).If the count gets abnormal (especially the white blood cells), then you can take a serological test. This is also a blood test which can detect the presence of HIV.If it is still negative, chances are the HIV is still in its window state. A clinician once told us..if we are prick by a needle ..it will take like 15 years for the virus to be detected. We will never know if we are harboring it..not until we get so immunocompromised. That is why..HIV is really a plague in mankind. It works like that.Prevention is still a hundred times better than an ounce of cure.Hope this helps. God bless!
2006-08-28 06:27:31 · answer #2 · answered by justurangel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it may take years for any symptoms to show. However the best thing to do would be to have a test but people need to know that the 6 month (or longer) period after you have come into contact with the virus is known as the window period. You can take a test and it may still come back negative even if you are infected.
2006-08-24 11:23:06 · answer #3 · answered by tay_jen1 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God I hope this question is not for youself! I think it takes about 3 months to show up on a test and it can be 10 years before having any symptoms but even if they are HIV+ it does not mean you will definatley have it.
2006-08-24 11:21:06 · answer #4 · answered by Poptartash 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
HIV is a little tricky. It likes to hide. You may not present with symptoms for a very long time. I think the first major sign is unexplained weight loss- extreme weight loss, then lots of chest infections. Especially things like brochitis.
Hope that helps...
2006-08-24 11:27:54 · answer #5 · answered by spaghettios4891 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they doctors can find out anywhere from a couple weeks to 3 months for hiv. symptoms rearly start within the first yr or too, why do you think so many people spread and have it without knowing?
2006-08-24 22:46:41 · answer #6 · answered by lovesugarkisses 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HIV is a retrovirus so could be fairly soon afetr I should think, but it depends how much the sufferer puts his symptoms down to other things.
2006-08-28 10:27:31 · answer #7 · answered by li5pia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's 6 weeks before you can get tested. Symptoms take much longer to show up.
2006-08-27 04:55:10 · answer #8 · answered by stopspucks88 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know someone who is an alcoholic and currently drinking. This person also has full blown AIDS. He also picks up male prostitutes and has sex with them. This man is a typhoid Kenny and he is my brother.
I would suggest going to get tested anytime this happens. Don't bet on it, don't play around with it. If you EVER sex with someone that is diagnosed with this--get tested and tell your co-workers this. I'm going to lose my brother because he's probably too intoxicated to take the cocktail.
2006-08-24 11:25:55 · answer #9 · answered by Elizabeth S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It can take from 3 months to a year to show up on any tests
2006-08-24 11:42:36 · answer #10 · answered by Kate 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋