More than 50,000 people annually contract the AIDS virus in the United States. Typically, an AIDS test is conducted to seek out the presence of HIV antibodies (the chemicals that the body produces to fight off disease). There are some tests that try to find HIV in a more direct fashion (by determining the presence of HIV genetic material), but they are not commonly used.
Common Tests
Most AIDS tests use blood samples to see if the patient has an HIV infection. There are some that can detect the HIV virus through saliva, but blood tests are the most common. While it can take a few days to get test results, in some cases results are available in as little as 20 minutes. And every positive HIV test result must be followed up with another test to confirm the results. The follow-up test results can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Oral Fluid Tests
Oral fluid tests can be used to determine the presence of AIDS antibodies, and differ from blood or saliva tests. A non-saliva oral fluid is collected from the mouth, and a similar test to the one performed on the blood is performed. In the event of a positive test result, the same fluid is used in a follow-up test to confirm the results.
Urine Tests
Urine tests use a urine sample instead of blood. The test is again similar to the blood test, and as with the oral fluid test, if a positive result is shown, the same urine is used in a follow up test to confirm the results. The accuracy of urine tests is less than that of a blood or oral fluid test.
Warning Signs
Often it may take as long as three months for the body to produce enough antibodies to show up in an AIDS test. In most cases, it is possible to detect an infection in as little as four weeks; however, if a person is tested too soon in this window, the virus may not show up and others can still become infected by the patient, even if a positive test hasn't been received. The only reliable way to determine if a person has the HIV virus is to be tested. However, there are possible warning signs that may be present, and if present, the subject should undergo an AIDS test to confirm the presence of HIV antibodies. These potential warning signs include extreme, unexplainable fatigue; unexplained and rapid weight loss, pneumonia, swollen lymph glands, episodes of diarrhea lasting for a week or more and a dry hacking cough.
Since the symptoms to AIDS are similar to many other diseases, it is important to be tested in order to get verification. No one should perform a self-diagnosis, and whether the patient chooses to be tested via a blood test, oral fluid or urine test, it is important to have reliable results from a qualified health care professional.
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