Other Tests ·
Other tests are carried out at the clinic to assess both your overall health, and the effect that the HIV drugs may have on you. They include cholesterol and triglyceride tests, which assess any effect that HIV and ARVs are having on the fat in your blood, liver function tests, and blood glucose (sugar) and insulin level tests. These are usually blood tests though urine tests can also be done for glucose and kidney function.
These tests will gauge whether you are within acceptable levels in each area. The levels expected in someone living with HIV are the same as would be expected on any other healthy person. If you are not some additional action may be needed. As an example, some ARVs increase cholesterol levels, and you may find that you have to adjust your diet and lifestyle, or take cholesterol-lowering drugs.
There are also some tests that are now more routinely carried out on people living with HIV, as they are more prone to some illnesses. One such example is an anal smear test that can help to detect early signs of anal cancer. This test is not limited only to gay or bisexual men, nor is it necessarily linked to anal intercourse, as the illness is more prevalent in all people living with HIV. The purpose of the test is to detect anal cancer early, and therefore make treatment more successful.
Sometimes tests will be done for other infections and conditions as well as the sexually transmitted infections listed on the next two pages. These may include CMV (cytomegalovirus), toxoplasmosis (especially if you have pets), tests for body chemical levels that may indicate other things like cancer, sputum tests for TB, and stool tests for gut infections like cryptosporidium, shigella, giardia etc.
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