Diagnosing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The doctor will ask about your symptoms, medical history, and risk factors. A physical exam will be done.

A blood test called an ELISA test is used to detect HIV infection. If an ELISA test is positive, the Western blot blood test is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. The ELISA test may be negative if you were infected with HIV recently.

Many people (95%) will have a positive test within three months. Most people (99%) will have a positive test within six months. If an ELISA test is negative, but you think you may have HIV, you should be tested again in 1 to 3 months.