Questions about how to think that maybe I have AIDS

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

For some weeks now I have been in constant email contact with a

PIO who is not resident in India but who is worried about the

possibility that he is HIV infected.

I won't go into any of the discussions that we have been having

except to say that on a probability score based on the honesty of

his answers to the behavioural questions the probability is very

low.

What continues to amaze me though are the number of tests that he

had before he left for overseas which in proximity to the so call

risk events could not possibly have revealed anything except to

increase the level of confusion and waste a whole lot of pathology

time and money.

Oh how we need to establish good testing protocols and pre-test

counselling in India!

Well he is now sounding calmer and he has revealed where he is now

staying and I have located a local treatment centre where he can

start again with a thorough health examination. Of course now he

is worried that if the tests are later on +ve will that effect his

new life, job and career in his country of choice and the anxiety

starts all over again.

Oh for a universally positive and non discriminatory attitude to

persons testing for blood borne virus disease!

One of the things he has requested is a check list and for that I

am indebted to Dr Suniti and Dr Thyagarajan and Dr

who under the auspices of YRG Centre In Chennai did produce

such a list:-

It appears here under with a preamble written by me:

We obviously see very different indicators of sero-conversion to

HIV world wide because of a variety of factors including the

general health of the patient and the ongoing capacity for good

nutrition and hygiene.

Because in many parts of the world there is no testing available

the diagnosis depends in many cases on observable symptoms.

These are some of the signs and they fall into two classes Major

and Minor.

In the major class the signs would be:-

Weight loss greater than 10% of body weight

Fever for longer than one month, intermittent or continuous

Chronic diarrhoea

In the minor class the signs would be:-

Persistent cough for longer than one month

General itchy dermatitis (skin irritation)

Recurrent Herpes zoster (shingles)

Oropharangeal candidiasis (fungus infection in mouth/throat)

Chronic progressive and disseminated herpes simplex infection

(HSV1 or 2)

Generalised lymphadenopathy (swelling of lymph glands)

The presense of at least two of the major signs together with at

least one of the minor signs is an indicator provided that other

causes of depleted immunity such as malnutrition have been ruled

out.

I share it with the group because it might be useful

Geoff Heaviside

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>