hi doctor bob , firstly thank yoy for your time , before i ask the question i read the forum but didn`t find my goal . my question is , i have possible exposure in the summer of 2007 in May .. after about 1 month i take a cortisone shot because of "allergy" as the doctor said .. then i have hiv antibody test after 3 years which means in August 2010 and it came negative . I read in the forum diffrent names like hydrocortisone and cortisone and also you said in reply: " if your course of cortisone is brief, you should follow PEP testing guidelines, getting an HIV-antibody test at baseline, six weeks, three months and six months. If your dose of cortisone is high and the course is prolonged, you may need PCR DNA qualitative testing, rather than the usual antibody-dependent HIV screening test." i didn`t understand THE COURSE or the-- PERCENTAGE ( as you said in another respond ) all i know that i have took just one "Cortisone shot" after nearly 1 month of the exposure because of allergy and i didn`t take any other medicine else after it.. and i tested after 3 years antibody negative .. please answer me because i am very close to get married but i am very scared at the same time ): and sorry for the bad english. and thank you in advance .. anderson

Hello Anderson,

Your negative HIV-antibody test three years after a potential exposure is definitive and conclusive. Your cortisone injection from three years ago would not affect the validity of the results. Stop worrying. You're fine.

Dr. Bob