HIV rapid test - Home test kit!

[jumpbris]

Hi all,

Does anyone know how accurate the HIV home test kit is?
I believe these are used in Africa, as they cannot afford the cost of other tests - ELISA, Western Blot.

Thanks.

[Ann]

Why are you worrying about rapid tests in Africa when you're in Australia?

There is only one home test kit that is approved - it's called Home Access and as far as I'm aware, it is only available in the US. The other home test kits available on the internet are very prone to false positive results.

Many places in Africa do use rapid testing as they are easy to administer in resource-poor settings, but they are not home kits.

Did you ever get to the bottom of whether or not your positive antibody test has been confirmed with Western Blot testing? As you live in Australia, this should not be a problem. It's the standard of care.

[bufguy]

The home access test kit confirmed I was HIV+.
I hadn't been tested in years and always had an excuse not to visit a testing site.
I ordered the test kit online, took a small blood sample..a finger prick...and maile it in. 4 days later I called in using an authorization code and they informed me I was positive. Shocked, I immediately made an appointment with the local immuno clinic, was confirmed with an ELISA test and again 4 days later with a western blot.
The criticism of home testing is the lack of face to face support. I wanted to keep my privacy.
In the end I thank God for the test. I'm healthy and being treated because of it.

[jumpbris]

Hi Ann,

I was just saying that the test has to be highly accurate as they are widely used in Africa.

A lot of things have happened since I last posted about my viral load and CD4 counts, and I am back to see the HIV specialist on Wednesday. I was going to wait until Wednesday to post...but here is the update.

Apparently my 2nd test was a confirmation test with the Western Blot testing, which also came with the CD4 count, and VL count. So that is a confirmation that I am positive.
I went to see an HIV specialist last Friday, and showed them my results (CD4 count of 700 and VL = 50), and I kid you not this is what they said to me:
"People with HIV live a lot shorter than people without HIV. There is a huge gap between the life span, but it is up to you to live a very healthy lifestyle to close that gap."
I don't like confrontations, so I just kept my mouth shut, and grunted.

On the same day, I did a chest x-ray (to check for TB and pneumonia), and got other tests done - including another viral load and CD4 count.
I get my results on Wednesday.

Now I was asking about the Home test kit, because I ordered 2 online. One from the US, and one from New Zealand.  Both my results came back as negative.
I did the tests a few days ago.

I called my clinic yesterday, and told them about my home kit test results. My doctor wasn't available, so I spoke to an HIV nurse. This is what she had to say to me:
"Home kit tests have been known to be accurate, but they are all set to different criteria to decide if someone is positive or not. Different countries have different criteria because of the different manufacturers."
Me: "So does that mean that I could be positive in Australia, and negative in the US, and NZ?".
Nurse: " Yes, but you should always trust the most sensitive method of testing with the most rigid criteria, and that will always give you the best result".

I just left it there, because at that point I was more confused than ever before.
Either the nurse has got no idea what she's on about, or something is flawed somewhere. How can there be different criteria in different countries to decide if someone has the world's deadliest virus in history?

I am going in to see the doctor on Wednesday with my two negative results. I will see what they've got to say.

So this is where I am at now - HIV positive in Australia (confirmed by ELISA and Western Blot). HIV negative based on US and NZ "criteria" using home test kit.

I will keep you updated.

[Matty the Damned]

Hi Bris,

Another Australian here. Given your username, I'm assuming you're from/in the Great State of Queensland.

Look, this is all quite perplexing. Home Access tests are usually pretty good when returning negative results, it's false positives they're known for.

But your ELISA/WB positive combination says differently. Tell me, was the second test you refer to performed on a second blood sample? Or was it a second test performed on the original sample?

Cheers,

MtD

[jumpbris]

Hello!

MtD, the second test was done on a second blood sample.
Perplexing? It gets better!

So, I went to see my doctor today. First thing first.
My results - CD4 counts: 30% (still within normal range, and has actually increased from last test which was 26%). I know that they fluctuates, and can do so within hours. Not really concerned about them.
VL: 54 copies. Last time was 70.

TB: Reactive. Doctor said that it doesn't look like I have TB but may have been exposed to it in the past.

My doctor wasn't perplexed about my results at all. They said that they will do one more test to verify consistency of the numbers, and if numbers don't change much...I will be labelled as an "elite controller" but still HIV positive...she stressed.

After I got the two home test negative results, being a scientist, and having access to published journal articles on Science Direct. I dove into hours of research on false positives/negatives, and interpretation of results. I was shocked to find that different countries do in fact interpret the western blot results differently.
There has been lots of cases reported especially in Europe, where people are HIV positive, and confirmed positive especially in Germany, but then negative in other parts of Europe.

So today, I asked the doctor about the scientific papers, and my negative results, and this is what they had to say:

" All you need to know is that you have been confirmed as positive on two different types of ELISA and Western Blot assay. I wouldn't trust or rely on the home test kits, because they have been known to produce a lot of false results. As for Europe, I don't know why they have different criteria in different countries. You are positive, and you need to concentrate on living a healthy lifestyle."

So I came out of this meeting with my doctor, knowing nothing more about HIV and/or AIDS and/or HIV testing reliability, and most importantly, not knowing what the numbers, and the negative results mean.  It was very apparent to me that I in fact knew more than them.
I have now ordered another set of HIV home test kit from the UK this time. I am due for another blood test in 4 weeks, which is the test that will determine whether I am an elite controller or not.

I am headed to the library this weekend, for more reading about this matter. If the doctor won't educate me, I need to educate myself. I have already started reading Gallo's paper which is in fact very interesting.

[osric]

I am headed to the library this weekend, for more reading about this matter. If the doctor won't educate me, I need to educate myself. I have already started reading Gallo's paper which is in fact very interesting.

Since you said you're heading to the library to learn more, I thought I'd chime in.

I was actually given a book when I went in to the doctor and received my confirmation test (it was a WB). The book was a bit overwhelming at first, but it's been useful:

"The First Year: HIV: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed" by Brett Grodeck

Here's the link to it on the US Amazon site:
http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Year-Essential-Diagnosed/dp/1600940137

[Matty the Damned]

Hello!

MtD, the second test was done on a second blood sample.
Perplexing? It gets better!

So, I went to see my doctor today. First thing first.
My results - CD4 counts: 30% (still within normal range, and has actually increased from last test which was 26%). I know that they fluctuates, and can do so within hours. Not really concerned about them.
VL: 54 copies. Last time was 70.

TB: Reactive. Doctor said that it doesn't look like I have TB but may have been exposed to it in the past.

My doctor wasn't perplexed about my results at all. They said that they will do one more test to verify consistency of the numbers, and if numbers don't change much...I will be labelled as an "elite controller" but still HIV positive...she stressed.

After I got the two home test negative results, being a scientist, and having access to published journal articles on Science Direct. I dove into hours of research on false positives/negatives, and interpretation of results. I was shocked to find that different countries do in fact interpret the western blot results differently.
There has been lots of cases reported especially in Europe, where people are HIV positive, and confirmed positive especially in Germany, but then negative in other parts of Europe.

So today, I asked the doctor about the scientific papers, and my negative results, and this is what they had to say:

" All you need to know is that you have been confirmed as positive on two different types of ELISA and Western Blot assay. I wouldn't trust or rely on the home test kits, because they have been known to produce a lot of false results. As for Europe, I don't know why they have different criteria in different countries. You are positive, and you need to concentrate on living a healthy lifestyle."

So I came out of this meeting with my doctor, knowing nothing more about HIV and/or AIDS and/or HIV testing reliability, and most importantly, not knowing what the numbers, and the negative results mean.  It was very apparent to me that I in fact knew more than them.
I have now ordered another set of HIV home test kit from the UK this time. I am due for another blood test in 4 weeks, which is the test that will determine whether I am an elite controller or not.

I am headed to the library this weekend, for more reading about this matter. If the doctor won't educate me, I need to educate myself. I have already started reading Gallo's paper which is in fact very interesting.

Look it's your call, but I don't know if I'd be going on with the Home Tests. I think you need to get a second opinion from another specialist.

MtD