Can I donate blood if I had a false positive HIV test?
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Can I donate blood if I had a false positive HIV test?
The questionably positive blood can then be discarded. Donors are notified to follow up with their doctors to see if their test was a false positive or if they are truly HIV infected.
What causes a false positive HTLV test?
What is meant by a false-positive test result? A false-positive test result means that the initial screening test was reactive, but a more precise supplemental test was negative. Almost all false-positive test results occur because of interference with the test and are not due to infection.
What are the signs and symptoms of HTLV?
Initial symptoms are subtle and include gait problems, unexplained falls, low back pain, constipation, urinary urgency/incontinence and numbness or pain in the lower limbs. Over the years, progressive leg weakness ensues followed by the exacerbation of the urinary and sensory symptoms.
How serious is HTLV?
If you are infected with HTLV-1, the virus won’t necessarily affect your health. Most people with HTLV-1 find it causes them no problems at all. But around 1 in 20 people develop one of two serious conditions: adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma.
What does a positive HTLV test mean?
A positive HTLV-I/II molecular test indicates that the person tested has an HTLV-I or HTLV-II infection. If the molecular result is negative, then the person is less likely to be infected, but it cannot be ruled out as the amount of virus in the blood may have been too low to detect at the time of the test.
Should I be worried about HTLV?
Although a few individuals have severe symptoms, most patients remain asymptomatic throughout their lives and their infections may be unknown to many health professionals. HTLV-1 can be considered a neglected public health problem and there are not many studies specifically on patients’ needs and emotional experiences.
How long can you live with HTLV-1?
HTLV-1 infection is a lifelong condition. There is no specific treatment if you have the virus, and you are well.
What causes false-positive HTLV?
A false-positive test result means that the initial screening test was reactive, but a more precise supplemental test was negative. Almost all false-positive test results occur because of interference with the test and are not due to infection.
Can you donate blood with HTLV?
Must not donate. HTLV (Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus I and II) infection can cause serious blood and nervous system disease. It is known to be transmitted by transfusion.