Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.
|
|
 |  |
 |
 |
Resistance testing
Apr 17, 2000
If you have two blood work tests done (HIV RNA by PCR Quant & Total CD4 count) would the results of those two tests indicate if there is any resistance related to the virus you're carrying? Or does resistance testing need to be done separately? Is it expensive? Does it take long?
|
 |
|
Advertisement
Response from Dr. Holodniy
The HIV RNA PCR test only measures how much virus is present in the blood. It does not tell us anything about the characteristics of the virus (ie resistance). That requires a special test. There are two kinds, genotypic testing, analyzes the sequence of the RNA looking for specific mutations that are known for drug resistance. Phenotypic testing measures the viruses ability to grow or not grow in the presence of HIV drugs. The former costs about $300-500 and takes about 1-2 weeks and the latter about $800-1,000 and takes about 2-4 weeks.
MH
Want to read more questions and answers on this subject? Our experts have answered many similar questions! |
|
|
 Please remember that this forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not engaged through this
forum in rendering legal or medical advice or professional services. Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible
for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither The Body nor any sponsor is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.
Questions and messages posted to this forum are not statements of advice, opinion, or information of The Body, Body Health Resources Corporation or any sponsor of this
forum. While neither The Body nor Body Health Resources Corporation regularly reviews posted content, we reserve the right to delete, move, or
edit postings if we deem it appropriate under the circumstances. Visitors submitting questions remain solely responsible for the content of their
messages.
Information provided by experts is general only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease, or relied upon as
legal or other professional advice. This information is not a substitute for professional advice or care. If you have or suspect you may have a
health or legal problem, you should consult your own health care provider or your attorney.
Copyright notice.
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
E-Mail
Glossary
