HIV RNA Test Accuracy

hiv rna test accuracy

If you think you might have exposed to an HIV infection within last 7-20 days, it is advisable to go for an HIV early detection test. An  HIV RNA Test is the only reliable option available to detect HIV infection at an early stage. If you are worried about its accuracy, research says HIV RNA Test is 99.9% accurate if performed correctly, which means you can go for it to know your correct status.

While most of the HIV tests fail to detect HIV infection at an early stage, an HIV RNA test not only detects the infection, but also provides most accurate results for an early infection.

HIV RNA test works slightly deferent than the standard HIV tests. While the standard HIV tests detect the level of antibodies in the blood that fight an HIV infection, an HIV RNA test detects the RNA (the genetic material that makes up certain viruses like HIV) into the blood.

The accuracy of an STD test is based on two things i.e sensitivity and specificity.

The sensitivity of a test is actually its ability to correctly identify those with the disease. The HIV RNA test has a sensitivity rate of 100%, that means it will never tell a HIV positive people as HIV negative.

The specificity is the ability of the test to correctly identify those without the disease. The specificity of HIV RNA test is 99.83%.

There is no doubt that the accuracy of an HIV RNA test is the highest when it comes to early detection of the diseases, although a follow-up test is also advisable in both the cases if your test result comes positive or negative.

You can go for an HIV RNA Test after 9-11 days of exposure, before that the test will not detect HIV infection.

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PCR RNA test is available on select clinics in the United States. The cost of PCR RNA test is high compared to other STD tests because they’re more complicated. You would glad to know that we’re the only company in the nation that offers FDA-approved HIV RNA Test nationwide.

Our labs are Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) approved. CLIA govern all clinical lab testing performed in the United States. This ensures you got your result with the highest accuracy.

A blood sample is required for RNA PCR test. RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) HIV testing is a newer and faster method designed to detect the presence of HIV in the blood. The study suggests that HIV RNA tests are more accurate than any other test available in the market.

Facts About RNA Tests

  • RNA Tests are primarily used to monitor disease progression in an HIV-infected person.
  • The tests are also being used to diagnose primary (recent) infection.
  • The Window period of this test is very short.
  • False positive is common in HIV RNA Test.
  • HIV RNA Tests are commonly used to screen blood donations.
  • HIV RNA tests are very common in the United States but are not routinely used in the UK.

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To confirm if you’re infected with HIV or not, RNA level is measured in your blood. In an HIV-infected person, RNA level goes very high during primary infection, mostly above 100,000 copies/ml. If your RNA level is below 5,000 copies/ml and your result says you’re infected, it may be a false positive result.

A reactive result with low viral load should not be treated as positive and should be re-confirmed in a subsequent test. In that case, wait for another few days before going for another test.