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Ask the Experts about General Treatment Strategies

 

INTERPRETING MEDICAL TESTS
Aug 10, 1998

HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME SORT THROUGH SOME TESTING RESULTS AND HELP ME DECIDE IF I SHOULD VIEW THEM AS CONCLUSIVE. AFTER ENGAGE IN A FOOLISH SEX ACT FROM A STRANGER I HAD A SERIES OF HIV TESTS PERFORMED.....A ELISA TEST AT 10 DAYS, A QUALITATIVE PCR TEST AT 3.5 WEEKS AND A ELISA TEST AT 3 MONTHS ALL WERE NEGATIVE......THE TESTING CENTER TELLS ME THAT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE EXPOSURE WAS HIGH RISK OR EXTREMELY LOW RISK AS THEY DEFINE IT(RECEIVING ORAL SEX) THE LATTER TWO TESTS WHEN VIEWED TOGETHER, ARE ABSOLUTELY 100 PERCENT CONCLUSIVE....THEY TOLD ME THE QUALITATIVE PCR AT 3.5 WEEKS WOULD SHOW A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF VIRUS, BECAUSE AT THAT TIME THE VIRUS WOULD BE AT A SATURATED LEVEL IN MY BLOOD(BASICALLY 100 PERCENT ACCURATE) AND THE 90 DAY ELISA IS ABOUT 99.7 PERCENT ACCURATE......CAN YOU CONFIRM THE ABOVE INFORMATION....I WOULD REALLY WISH TO AVOID TAKING ANOTHER TEST IF IT IS MEDICALLY UNNECESSARY....THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVALUABLE HELP IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Response from Dr. Murphy

Dear Questioner, There numbers and reasoning sounds right to me. RM



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