POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Research News & Studies => Topic started by: Brian360 on January 26, 2007, 07:41:04 pm
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I was told by my doctor at the VA Center I go to that a John Hopkins University Research report says that you can have non-detectable HIV for up to 10 years before it is finally detected and they (doctors) use this 10 year scale to orientate themselves as a "flow chart" of what the virus can do during its longevity and what the doctors should do along this time track.
So instead of thinking I became infected in 2004, I actually could have become infected in 1994.
I understand that sometimes to help you realize where you're going you have to examine the past, but I hope that amount of hours consumed on research for a vaccine far outweighed the hours spent finding out that basically you can have no clue as to when you became infected.
Brian
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There are people in these forums who know a lot more than I do. While it may be possible that some people who are positive have "undetectable" virus levels for an extended period of time, I do not believe it is true that a person can be positive for 10 years without the presence of the virus being detected.
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I do not believe it is true that a person can be positive for 10 years without the presence of the virus being detected.
It certainly is true! there are people on this forum closing on on 20 years of being positive without ever having a detectable viral load. They are called Long term non progressors there is a clinical study of these people going on in the US at the moment here is a thread all about it:
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=411.0 (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=411.0)
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But.....we (LTNP's) still TEST HIV POSITIVE because our bodies have made antibodies for the HIV and that shows up on a test. You cannot be HIV positive for 10 years and never test positive. Yes...undectable viral load is possible.
Modified to add: Yes it seems that there is an exception to every rule. Read this thread: http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=1853.0
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I go into visit my doctor in a couple of days...I'll see if I can get the name of the report from her so individual research for it won't be as grueling.