[When should a patient be tested for HIV?]

Thanks to current drug therapy, the prognosis of an early diagnosed HIV-positive patient is almost equivalent to the life expectancy of the general population. Because HIV-positive persons remain typically symptomless for years, suspicion of the infection should be remembered not only on the basis of symptoms compatible with the disease, but also on the basis of mere exposure. A symptomatic HIV patient may be encountered in any special field. The possibility of a symptomless HIV infection should be always kept in mind with patients having a known sexually transmitted disease or chronic viral hepatitis. Diagnosis of HIV is based on the demonstration of antibodies and/ or HIV antigen.