QuestionI am a 55 yr old male and was wondering about hiv. I received unprotected oral sex from a girl way back in the 80'S and never got tested. I had physicals and surgeries when pre-op testing was done. My question is could i be living with hiv for the last 25 years, and why is it that u have to ask for a hiv test during a physical, i feel it should be done as part of the regular urine or blood work, so many people like me are afraid to ask for the test. How long can u last if infected. Thank you
AnswerSteve,
High risk exposure (multiple sex partners, risky sexual encounters, male-on-male intercourse, IV drug use, ...) would place you at increased risk from not only HIV but also Hepatitis B and C. There are other sexually transmitted diseases as well... HSV, HPV, Chlamydia, and others.
On the topic of HIV.... remote exposures can cause active disease (HIV+, AIDS). However, it is recommended that after a questionable exposure you should have an immediate HIV test, then at 6-months and again at one year. If after a year no HIV virus titers or antibodies are detected than you are in the clear from THAT exposure.
20 to 30 years ago outlook was dim for those with HIV... as they tended to rapidly progress to AIDS. Today with the cocktails of anti-HIV meds (Protease inhibitors, etc) live expectancy is increases and more importantly quality of life is increases (we see a decrease in morbidity and mortality) yet incidence worldwide of HIV infection is still on the rise.
While NOT on the usual panel of annual tests for a physical for low risk individuals, I usually recommend testing on HIGH risk individuals or those with symptoms that may be indicative of an HIV infection.
CDC information is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/testing/index.htm
And you may find this link helpful (new recommendations for testing):
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5514a1.htm
