How to Read RNA HIV Test Results

Technically called an HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, an RNA HIV test is used to detect the presence of the genetic material belonging to the HIV virus in the bloodstream. While an RNA HIV test can give accurate results as little as 2 days following an exposure to the HIV virus, it is recommended that you wait at least 12 weeks after a possible infection to give yourself the best chance at receiving accurate results.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Physician or sexual-health professional

Decipher RNA HIV Test Results

1. Have a doctor or other qualified sexual-health professional administer your RNA HIV test. While there are self-tests available on the market that use the RNA method to detect the virus, they are considered wildly inaccurate by most health professionals.

2. Give a blood sample, as required by the RNA HIV test. The professional giving the test will then have it analyzed by a lab, which will produce a report that you can read with the assistance of the tester.

3. Make an appointment to go in to read the results of your test, as directed by the person who gives it to you. Since there is frequently a backlog at HIV testing laboratories, you may need to wait for the clinic performing the test to call you to inform you that the results are ready.

4. Avoid getting test results read to you over the telephone. In the event of a positive result, you're going to want to make immediate use of the coping resources that your health-care professional will likely make available to you.

5. Have the doctor or sexual-health professional explain the test results to you. You will receive a positive or negative reading, based on whether or not the blood test you had performed showed fragments or complete sequences of the DNA and RNA associated with the HIV virus.

6. Continue to be tested regularly if you receive a negative result yet remain sexually active.

Tips & Warnings

• A PCR, or RNA HIV, test is considered one of the most accurate currently available. It produces positive readings in cases of infection even when every other testing method has continually produced false-negative results.
• Do not wait for symptoms of an HIV infection to manifest themselves before you go to get tested. Infected persons may remain asymptomatic for many years, increasing the chance that they will unwittingly pass the HIV virus on to future sexual partners.

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