HIV test result for my 20 months old son

[deane]

First thanks for this forum and so many warm-hearted friends. It at least released  my feeling of lonly, anxiety and helpless.

Here are HIV test result of my son:

The virus load of HIV RNV is undetactable (at 20 months), but the antibody test result is shown as NOT CONFIRMED (the doctor say that means it is positive both at 12 months and 20 months).

Other related informations:
1. My wife was detected HIV -1 positive at the three months pregnacy health checking and then received treatment.
2. My son has received HIV durg for 6 days after born.
3. No breastfeeding and be cared very carefully.
4. Currently my son seems be very healthy.

If someone can give me comments regarding my following questions:

1. How about the posibitly of my son infected HIV?
2. If it's necessary for further testing? (In fact i am anxity, but don't want my son to be let blood for this again!)

[Andy Velez]

Deane, I've moved your thread over to this section where I think it fits in better.

A positive on an HIV Elisa test always has to be confirmed with a western blot. You should check with your son's doctor to find out if that confirmatory test has been done and he is actually HIV positive. There seems to be confusion here on your part about your son's HIV status.

If he is HIV positive there are much better treatments available currently that can keep your son healthy and assure his growing up and having a good life.

But for now get confirmation of his status. And if he is positive you should be having conversations with the doctor about what has to be done to keep him in good health. Good luck with sorting this problem out. 

[deane]

Thanks,Andy Velez

As i learned that no confirmation test has been done. I'm in china, the test procedure is not so precise.

The doctor recommended that to do another antibody test after half years. But i an warried about the result and want to know the posibility.

[Ann]

Deane,

Your son does not have hiv - the undetectable RNA PCR test at twenty months has ruled it out.

Here's some information from a highly respected source - i-base:

How and when will I know that my baby is HIV-negative?

Babies born to HIV positive mothers will always test HIV positive at first if the usual antibody tests are used.

This is because they share their mum’s antibodies. If your baby is not infected with HIV these will gradually disappear. This can sometimes take as long as 18 months.

The best test for HIV in babies is very similar to a viral load test. Called an HIV PCR DNA test, it looks for virus in the baby’s blood rather than at immune responses.

Good practice in the UK is to test babies the day they are born, and then when they are six weeks and three months old.

If all these tests are negative, and you are not breastfeeding your baby, then your baby is not HIV positive.

You will also be told that your baby no longer has your antibodies when he or she is 18 months old. This exciting milestone is called seroreversion.

The article above talks about DNA PCR testing, but RNA PCR testing is also used for testing babies and it is actually more accurate than DNA testing. (DNA testing can be prone to false POSITIVE results.)

Again, your son does NOT have hiv.

Ann

[deane]

Thank you very much, Ann

As i learned from many articles that the HIV antibody of the mather will be disappeared in baby before 18 months and the antibody test result will be avilable. But this is not in the case of my son even at his 20 months.

Another article meantioned that the false positive for the antibody test in the following link:http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/fulltext/2007/05310/false_positive_hiv_antibody_results_with.22.aspx

But i still a little worried about this and appricated if this is further clarified.

[Ann]

Deane, for some babies it takes a little longer than 18 months for the antibodies to clear. Your son will probably clear them soon - and most places will continue to periodically test for antibodies until they have cleared.

Your son is healthy and hiv negative, so hang in there. He will clear the antibodies eventually.

Ann