Labcorp Hiv Test Turnaround Time

Should I Tell Anyone Else Of My Test Results

Yes. If you test positive for HIV infection, it is important that you tell your healthcare practitioners as well as all current and future sex partners and/or anyone with whom you share needles. Counseling services are often available from the clinic that performed the test or from your healthcare provider that will help you to inform the people who need to know.

Why Should I Get Tested If I Am Pregnant

If you are pregnant, it is important to determine if you have HIV so you can be treated. Treatment of HIV-infected mothers during pregnancy, precautions at birth, and avoiding breast-feeding can minimize the risk of passing the infection from mother to child. If you are already taking HIV medications when you become pregnant, you should continue to do so during pregnancy and labor and delivery. If you are not taking HIV medications or have a high viral load during pregnancy, giving the antiretroviral drug zidovudine intravenously during labor and delivery and also to the newborn twice a day by mouth for 6 weeks reduces the rate of transmission from 25-33% to about 1-2%.

Is A Pcr Home Test The Same As A Rapid Home Test

Rapid tests are another option for at-home testing. These tests, also called antigen tests, look for the specific immune response your body mounts against a SARS-CoV-2 infection, rather than actual genetic material from the virus, which is what the PCR test is designed to identify.

If you have symptoms, these tests are fairly accurate, but if you have no symptoms at all when you test, you could end up with a false negative.

At this time, Labcorp does not offer a rapid antigen testing kit.

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Testing By Clia Approved Lab: Labcorp Or Quest Diagnostics

HIV is an illness affecting the lives of 36.9 million individuals worldwide. This infectious disease presents a global burden. It is a virus unlike any other. It attacks the body s immune system and has no cure. The best way to tackle this virus is by detecting it the earliest possible to be able to treat it before it turns into a more complicated illness.

What Kinds Of Blood Tests Are There And How Long Does It Take To Get My Results

Story by: Sara Thompson on June 17, 2021

Once you leave the lab, how long will it take to get results of your bloodwork? It depends on several factors.

Doctors use the results of your blood tests to get a better picture of your overall health and understand more about whats going on inside. There are many things a blood test can show you such as cholesterol or blood sugar levels. Reading results and communicating them to you can take a matter of hours, days or weeks.

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How Is The Test Used

HIV tests are used to screen for and diagnose HIV infections.

Screening

Different types of tests may be used for HIV screening:

Diagnosis

What Are The Symptoms Of Hiv Infection

Symptoms of the initial HIV infection can mimic those of influenza and other viral infections. The only reliable way to tell if you are infected is to get tested. Many people with HIV do not experience symptoms for years after the initial infection or have symptoms that are very similar to symptoms of other illnesses. For more, see this CDC web page: About HIV.

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How Do Pixel Tests Work

Pixel by Labcorp uses reverse polymerase chain reaction testing technology. These tests are also called molecular or nucleic acid amplification tests .

PCR tests look for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 particles in samples, identifying bits of genetic material to confirm the presence of the virus and its subtype or variant. According to data provided by Labcorp, the Pixel tests are 95 percent accurate at screening for SARS-CoV-2 infections.

PCR testing is highly accurate when it comes to detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but this accuracy comes at a cost. Results of PCR testing are not immediate and cant be done completely at home.

PCR testing requires specialized lab equipment that duplicates and magnifies genetic material from your sample to search for virus particles. The test takes a few hours to run, but because of the lab equipment and time required for this testing method, increased demands on testing have increased wait times for test results in many areas.

While PCR tests are highly accurate, there is still also a chance for inaccurate results. Testing is most accurate in people with symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and results can also vary depending on how samples are collected and processed. Labcorp says it will retest any suspicious samples for inaccurate results.

Understanding Of Lab Tests Results

Please visit the site associated with The American Association for Clinical Chemistry for better understanding of tests. There you will find the most detailed and full information regarding lab tests. In “common questions” tab you will find answers on the most common questions.

In addition, you can use a special form to ask the question. It is useful, if there is no answer on your question on the web site. A laboratory scientist will answer your question. It is a part of voluntary service provided by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

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How Can I Get Tested For Hiv

There are a few different ways you can get access to HIV screening:

• A blood or saliva sample can be collected in a healthcare practitioner’s office or a local clinic and sent to a laboratory for testing. Certain testing centers provide either anonymous or confidential HIV testing and counseling. You can also contact your state or local health department to find out where testing may be available. To find a testing site near you, visit the National HIV and STD Testing Resources webpage.
• In these same settings, there may be a rapid test available, with results that are generated in 20 minutes or less.
• There is a home test for HIV that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . It uses a saliva sample and results are available in about 20 minutes.

  The home test has two limitations:

  1. The saliva test is less sensitive than a blood test, so the home test may miss some cases of HIV that a blood test would detect.2. The home test is not as accurate when it is performed at home by a lay person compared to when it is performed by a trained healthcare professional. However, the convenience of home testing might encourage some people who might otherwise be reluctant to go to a healthcare practitioner or clinic to learn their HIV status.

How Confidential Are Hiv Test Results

Your HIV status, like other medical conditions and test results, is protected by the HIPAA Privacy Rule and cannot be shared with friends, family, or employers without your written permission. Your HIV status may be shared with your healthcare providers who have a “need to know” in order to treat you. Also, in order to determine the incidence of HIV and to provide appropriate prevention and care services, all new cases of HIV are reported to state and local health departments.

Certain testing centers provide either anonymous or confidential HIV testing and counseling. You can also contact your state or local health department to find out where testing may be available.

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Can I Ship A Kit Internationally

Labcorp OnDemand® services are only available in the US. Unfortunately, we’re unable to ship kits internationally.How long does it take to get COVID-19 test results back?

Currently the average time to deliver results is 1-2 days from when your sample is received at the lab. Our labs process samples seven days a week.

If I Test Positive For Hiv What Follow

If you are HIV-positive, follow-up tests may include the following:

• HIV viral load testingmeasures the amount of HIV in the blood. It is performed when you are first diagnosed to help determine the status of the disease and is ordered at intervals to monitor the effectiveness of therapy.
• CD4 countmeasures the number of CD4 T-cells in the blood. It is ordered when you are first diagnosed to get a baseline assessment of your immune system and it is done at intervals to monitor therapy and the status of the immune system.
• HIV antiretroviral drug resistance testing, genotypicordered when you are initially diagnosed to determine whether the particular strain of HIV that you have is resistant to certain antiretroviral drug therapies. This testing is also ordered when treatment is changed or when there is evidence of treatment failure.

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What Is Being Tested

Human immunodeficiency virus is the virus that can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome . HIV screening tests detect the HIV antigen and/or HIV antibodies produced by the body in response to an HIV infection in the blood. Some tests detect HIV antibodies in saliva.

An HIV infection may initially cause no symptoms or cause flu-like symptoms that resolve after a week or two. The only way to determine whether you have been infected is through HIV testing.

If left untreated, an HIV infection can progressively destroy the body’s ability to fight infections and certain cancers. HIV weakens the immune system by infecting lymphocytes , a type of white blood cell, that normally help the body fight infections.

During the first few weeks following infection with HIV, the virus infects T-cells, making numerous copies of itself and continuing to infect more T-cells. The amount of virus and the p24 antigen level in blood can be quite high. HIV tests that detect the p24 antigen can generally identify infections in the first weeks after infection, even before antibodies develop.

About 2-8 weeks after exposure to the virus, the immune system responds by producing antibodies directed against the virus that can be detected in the blood. As the initial infection resolves and the level of HIV antibody increases, both virus and p24 antigen levels decrease in the blood. HIV tests that detect HIV antibodies can identify HIV infections about 2 to 8 weeks after infection.

What Are The Treatments For Hiv/aids

Currently, there is no cure for HIV infection or AIDS. However, early diagnosis allows for treatment with antiretroviral therapy that can help to suppress levels of virus in your body and greatly improve your long-term health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the World Health Organization recommend that all individuals diagnosed with HIV infection receive treatment as soon as possible, including pregnant women. With advances in treatment, individuals with HIV infection are living longer, healthier lives.

People typically take at least three drugs from two different classes in order to prevent or minimize virus replication and the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Combinations of three or more antiretroviral drugs are referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART. Read the Treatment section of the article on HIV Infection and AIDS for additional details.

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When Is It Ordered

Several organizations recommend routine screening for HIV:

• The Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Physicians recommend that anyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be screened for HIV at least once.
• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends anyone age 15 to 65 get at least a one-time test.
• The CDC, USPSTF and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that all pregnant women be screened. Repeat testing in the third trimester may be done for women at high risk. Some women may opt to get tested when planning a pregnancy .
• The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that all sexually active youth be screened, and that youths between 15 and 18 years old be offered HIV testing at least once, regardless of sexual history.

For additional details on screening recommendations, see the articles for Teens, Young Adults, Adults, and Adults 50 and Up.

Annual screening is advised for those who are at high risk for HIV and is recommended when you:

• Have unprotected sex with more than one partner since your last HIV test
• Are a man who has sex with another man
• The CDC says that your healthcare practitioners may consider more frequent screening for you, such as every 3 to 6 months.

You should get at least a one-time test, regardless of age, if you:

What Does The Test Result Mean

• A negative HIV test usually indicates that you do not have an HIV infection. However, if you are screened too soon, the result may be negative despite the fact that you are infected . If an HIV test is negative but recent exposure is suspected, then an HIV RNA test or repeat testing with the HIV antigen/antibody blood test may be required.

  Also, a negative screening test means only that there is no evidence of disease at the time of the test. If you are at increased risk of HIV infection, it is important to have screening tests performed on a yearly basis to check for possible exposure to the virus.

• If you test positive on both the initial screen and supplemental testing, then you are diagnosed with HIV.

The CDC recommends the following testing protocol to screen for and diagnose HIV infection:

• Screen for HIV infection using a combination HIV antigen/antibody test, then
• Verify a positive with a second HIV antibody test that differentiates between HIV-1 and HIV-2.
• If results of the first and second test do not agree, then the next test to perform is an HIV-1 RNA test . If the HIV-1 RNA is positive, then the test is considered positive.

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Is There Anything Else I Should Know

HIV infection cannot be cured, but early diagnosis allows for treatment with antiretroviral therapy that can help to suppress levels of virus in the body and greatly improve long-term health. People typically take at least three drugs from two different classes in order to prevent or minimize virus replication and the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Combinations of three or more antiretroviral drugs are referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART.

There is currently no vaccine to protect against HIV, but avoiding high-risk activities such as having unprotected sex and sharing needles for injecting drugs can help to prevent its spread. Early diagnosis of HIV infection is important to prevent its transmission to others and to allow evaluation, monitoring, and early treatment of the affected person.

While there is no vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend that individuals without HIV infection but at high risk for it consider taking pre-exposure prophylaxis , a daily pill to help prevent infection. For people taking PrEP consistently, the risk of HIV infection was up to 92% lower compared to those who didn’t take it.

Healthcare workers can protect themselves from HIV infection by following universal precautions, such as wearing gloves and avoiding needle sticks.

Benefits Of Routine Screening

The time is now to begin routine screening for HIV. About 40% of new HIV infections are transmitted by people undiagnosed and unaware they have HIV.3

The CDC advises and calls for:

• Routine HIV screening of adults, adolescents and pregnant women in U.S. healthcare settings
• Reducing ethnic, racial and disproportionately affected minority barriers to HIV testing.

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Can You Use The Hiv Antibody Test To Detect Hiv In Newborns

No. Because maternal antibodies are transferred from mother to baby and stay in the newborn’s system for 6-12 months, a different test must be used. A test that detects the genetic material, either an HIV RNA or HIV DNA test, is required.

Can Hiv Be Prevented

There is currently no vaccine to protect you against HIV, but avoiding high-risk activities such as having unprotected sex and sharing needles for injecting drugs can help to prevent its spread.

While there is no vaccine, the CDC and the World Health Organization recommend that individuals without HIV infection but at high risk for it consider taking pre-exposure prophylaxis , a daily pill to help prevent infection. For people taking PrEP consistently, the risk of HIV infection was significantly lower compared to those who didn’t take it.

If you have HIV, early diagnosis of your infection is important to prevent its transmission to others and to allow evaluation, monitoring, and treatment. Healthcare workers can protect themselves from HIV infection by following universal precautions, such as wearing gloves and avoiding needle sticks.

Post-exposure prophylaxis is another strategy for preventing HIV. PEP is taking antiretroviral medication after recent possible exposure to the virus. PEP should only be used in emergency situations and must be taken within 72 hours of possible HIV exposure. Talk to your healthcare practitioner or emergency department doctor about PEP right away if you:

• Think you have may been exposed through sex
• Think you were exposed through sharing needles or other works for injecting drugs
• Were sexually assaulted
• Are a healthcare worker and think you were exposed to HIV at work

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