HIV test results: negative, positive, reactive, and cryptic. What does it mean?

If you are among those who are at high risk of contracting HIV and have recently been exposed to the virus, it is better to get tested immediately. There are many different types of HIV testing, and all of them allow you to find out what your current status is. Like most medical tests, HIV test results can come out positive or negative, but diagnosing HIV itself is not that easy. So, how can we understand the results of an HIV test? Does a negative test result mean that you are definitely free of HIV?

Purpose of HIV testing

The sooner you get tested for HIV the better, because your doctor can recommend the right treatment or prevention.

You should immediately go to the nearest hospital or health facility for an HIV test if you think you have been exposed to the virus in the last 3 months. However, the results you get will depend on when and what type of HIV test you have.

Usually, your first visit to the HIV test may come back negative. However, do not breathe freely first if you are a high-risk group.

So, actually the first HIV test aims to see first whether you have specific antibodies or not. Instead of checking the presence or absence of the HIV virus in the blood.

Understand HIV test results

A person can be diagnosed with HIV infection (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) after it is proven that the virus is in his body. This is usually seen from a variety of physical examinations, including blood tests through an HIV test.

HIV test results are generally described in three categories, namely negative, reactive, and positive. These three test results show different conditions.

1. HIV test results are negative

As explained above, getting a negative result after a test does not mean that you are completely free of HIV.

However, a negative HIV result also does not necessarily indicate a test that you took a wrong step or was inaccurate. You may already be infected, however viral load not enough in the blood for the test to detect.

This is the so-called HIV window period, which is the time lag between when the virus first enters it until tests can accurately detect its presence. The HIV window period varies from person to person and also varies depending on the type of HIV test that is being undertaken.

It is important to know that while you are still in the window period, you may not feel any symptoms of HIV. Viruses continue to duplicate and reproduce in the body so that you can still transmit disease to the environment without realizing it.

If your first HIV test result is negative, you will need to be tested again in the next 3 months to be sure. When you are infected with HIV, the body will release special antibodies that are ready to attack the virus. If you come back negative from the last test, you can be absolutely sure that you are not infected with HIV.

Even so, a negative test result also does not necessarily indicate that your sex partner is also HIV negative. The HIV test only applies to the person who is undergoing the test. How much better would it be for your partner to also take an HIV test so that it will further prevent HIV transmission more widely.

2. A positive HIV test result

If the test result is positive, it indicates that viral load HIV has been detected in your blood. Resultviral load reaching 100,000 copies or more per 1 ml is considered high. This means that you are likely to be HIV positive.

After getting a positive result, your doctor can recommend a treatment plan that suits your current condition. You need to start treatment as soon as possible to make sure you stay healthy while reducing your chances of spreading HIV to other people. ART slows the progression of HIV and helps protect your immune system.

In addition, you will also continue to be monitored for tuberculosis (TB) infection. Then if you are HIV positive while pregnant, you will be given additional directions to prevent transmission to your baby.

Relax, because your HIV test results will not be published. Your test documents are private and can only be accessed by you and the team of doctors who will be involved in your treatment.

3. HIV reactive test results

A reactive test result is a positive result that may need to be reconfirmed with additional tests, before a final diagnosis can be made. A diagnosis of whether you are HIV positive or not will not be confirmed until the results of a follow-up HIV blood test come out and are accepted by a doctor.

At this stage, it is very important to follow the doctor's advice to monitor HIV symptoms and prevent infection with the virus.

Chances of HIV testing produce inaccurate results

Apart from the three test results above, there are two HIV test results that are said to be inaccurate, namely false negative and false positive.

A false negative result is a failure to detect antibodies or antigens in someone who is HIV-infected (that is, the mistake of identifying an HIV positive person as HIV negative). This most likely occurs during the window period, when antibodies and antigens cannot be detected.

Conversely, tests that erroneously return positive results in people who are actually HIV negative are known as false positives. This may occur if non-HIV antibodies are misidentified as antibodies to HIV.

The risk of a positive result from a single test can in fact be a false positive, so many doctors prefer to say that the test result is reactive rather than positive. That way, you will be asked to do a re-examination to ensure the results.

If you still have certain questions or concerns regarding your HIV test results, consult your doctor directly.

How do you make sure your test is HIV-free?

The HIV test will not be done once but usually several times at an interval of 3 months. Some doctors even recommend doing tests every 6 months to get a more genital HIV test result.

So, if you are infected with the HIV virus, the first test may show a negative HIV test result. However, the second result after the window period will show a positive sign. Meanwhile, if you are not proven to have the HIV virus, the results of the first test and subsequent tests will still be negative.

However, if after the test you are exposed to the risk of HIV again, such as having unsafe sex or getting a tattoo in a place that is not reliable, then you need to repeat the test to get an accurate HIV test result, according to your current condition.

If the test results show that you are proven to be free of HIV, you must maintain your health status by taking HIV prevention, such as living a healthy lifestyle, safe sex, and avoiding things that can make you infected.

However, if the test results show HIV infection, continue treatment immediately and consult a doctor for further treatment.