Private MD Lab Services, a national online lab test provider, has recorded a dramatic increase in requests for its new anonymous HIV test. "There was at least a five-fold increase in ordering the test, resulting in many relieved patients,” said Dr. Otis Plunk, founder and Medical Director of Private MD.
(PRWEB) September 24, 2006 -- Private MD Lab Services, a national online lab test provider, has recorded a dramatic increase in requests for its new anonymous HIV test. The HIV Proviral DNA by PCR test accurately identifies actual HIV no later than 28 days after exposure, and apparently much sooner in most cases – perhaps within a week or less. It is able to provide patients with early HIV detection, and often provides peace of mind in negative cases.
“There was at least a five-fold increase in ordering the test, resulting in many relieved patients,” said Dr. Otis Plunk, founder and Medical Director of Private MD. A few patients, “found out that they had HIV but were somewhat relieved to know that they were able to diagnose it months earlier than with other alternative testing and therefore seek treatment that much earlier.”
Until recently, the ELISA HIV test was the most widely recognized and recommended test for detecting HIV. This popular test does not identify the virus, but does identify the production of antibodies associated with the immune system response. Because these antibodies are produced at varying rates in different individuals, a client must wait from 3 to 6 months after suspected exposure to the virus before being tested. In addition, a positive ELISA HIV test result could occur in individuals with arthritis, autoimmune diseases or allergies to their own antibodies.
The DNA by PCR test provides patients with early HIV detection, reducing the waiting time between exposure to the virus and the ability to detect it, giving the patient the opportunity to choose treatment options during the earliest stages of the infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently recommended that everyone aged 13 to 64 who visits a doctor’s office should be tested for HIV, adding that “people with ongoing risk behaviors should be tested more frequently.”
"Most HIV is transmitted by the 25 percent of infected people who do not even realize they are infected," said the CDC’s Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD. "We need to dramatically expand access to HIV testing by making it a routine aspect of clinical care."
Private MD Lab Services allows individuals to request an HIV Proviral DNA by PCR lab test via a secure Web site, without a doctor’s order or referral, allowing anonymous testing of recent HIV exposure at more than 1,000 locations nationwide. The site, www.privatemdlabs.com, helps the individual identify a lab in their area and purchase the test. Private MD Services has invested in secure, user-friendly software and uses licensed physicians to analyze data from hundreds of lab tests.
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