HIV & AIDS Health Center

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Until you know the results of your test:

• Avoid sexual contact with others. If you do have sex, practice safe sex.
• Do not share needles, syringes, cookers, cotton, cocaine spoons, or eyedroppers.

If you do not have symptoms of HIV even though you have tested positive for the virus, you and your doctor may simply continue to watch for symptoms to occur. If you do not show any signs of disease and your CD4+ cell count is more than 500 cells per microliter (mcL), you may not need treatment. But during this time you still need regular checkups with a doctor to monitor your viral load and CD4+ cell counts. These tests measure the amount of HIV in your blood and detect how well your immune system is working.

Who to see

Health professionals who can diagnose and may treat HIV include:

• Family medicine doctors.
• Internists.
• Infectious disease specialists.
• Nurse practitioners.
• Physician assistants (PAs).

HIV can also be diagnosed and treated at an HIV care clinic.

Complications of HIV may require treatment by the following doctors:

• Cardiologist
• Dermatologist
• Gastroenterologist
• Infectious disease specialist
• Oncologist
• Ophthalmologist
• Orthopedist
• Pulmonologist

If you do not have a doctor

Public health clinics and other organizations may provide free or low-cost, confidential testing and counseling about HIV and high-risk behavior. If you have questions about the testing procedure, ask your doctor to explain the procedure to you.

If you do not have a doctor, contact one of the following for information on HIV testing in your area:

• Your county or state health department.
• Local AIDS organization.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 24-hour information hotline: 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO) or see the CDC National HIV Testing Resources Web site at www.hivtest.org.
• National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) hotline: 1-866-846-9366 (toll-free). Or see the NAPWA Web site at www.napwa.org.
• U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) toll-free HIV hotline: 1-800-448-0440 (1-800-HIV-0440). Or see the NIH AIDS Web site at www.aidsinfo.nih.gov.

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.