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ELISA/ inmunotransferencia para VIH - Results

Nombres alternativos

Pruebas para VIH

Valores normales:

Un resultado negativo en el examen es normal. Sin embargo, las personas con infección temprana por VIH (llamada infección aguda o infección primaria por VIH) a menudo tienen un resultado negativo en el examen.

Significado de los resultados anormales:

Un resultado positivo en la prueba de detección ELISA no significa necesariamente que la persona tenga la infección por VIH. Hay ciertas afecciones que pueden llevar a que se presente un resultado falso positivo, como la enfermedad de Lyme, la sífilis y el lupus.

Una prueba ELISA positiva siempre va seguida de una inmunotransferencia (Western blot) que, de ser también positiva, confirma una infección por VIH. Una inmunotransferencia negativa significa que la prueba ELISA fue un examen falso positivo. La inmunotransferencia también puede ser poco clara, en cuyo caso, se hacen pruebas adicionales.

Las pruebas negativas no descartan la infección por VIH. Existe un período de tiempo, llamado "período de ventana inmunológica", entre la infección por VIH y la aparición de anticuerpos anti-VIH mensurables.

Si una persona pudiera tener la infección aguda o la infección primaria por VIH y está en el "período de ventana inmunológica", un ELISA y una inmunotransferencia para VIH negativos no descartarán dicha infección. Será necesario realizar más pruebas para VIH.

  • Reviewed last on: 6/9/2011
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Referencias

Dewar R, Goldstein D, Maldarelli F. Diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection. In: Mandell GL, Bennett GE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 119.

Sax PE, Walker BD. Immunopathogenesis of human immunodeficiency infection. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 408.

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