Berun A. Abdalla, Meer M. Abdulkarim, Shvan H. Mohammed, Rewas Ali Azeez, Talar Sabir Hameed, Nigar Hassan Mohammed, Rawezh Q. Salih, Dahat A. Hussein and 6 more
Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) surface glycoproteins, including shared epitope motifs, show similarities. This may lead to false-positive HIV results due to cross-reactivity between the two viruses. This study presents a systematic review…
The Hidden Problem of Cross-Reactivity: Challenges in HIV Testing During the COVID-19 Era: A Systematic Review
Berun A. Abdalla, Meer M. Abdulkarim, Shvan H. Mohammed, Rewas Ali Azeez, Talar Sabir Hameed, Nigar Hassan Mohammed, Rawezh Q. Salih, Dahat A. Hussein and 6 more
IntroductionHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) surface glycoproteins, including shared epitope motifs, show similarities. This may lead to false-positive HIV results due to cross-reactivity between the two viruses. This study presents a systematic review of the published studies on their cross-reactivity.
MethodsA systematic review of the published studies of HIV and SARS-CoV2 cross-reactivity was conducted, the studies that met the following criteria were included: 1) Studies in the English language. 2) Studies in which the title included the required keywords. 3) Studies in which false positive results were achieved and confirmed. 4) Studies investigating the possibility of cross-reactivity between HIV and SARS-CoV2.
ResultsA total of 11 studies and 466,140 patients were analyzed. Of the specified sexes, 363,786 (82.1%) of the participants were males. A total of 707 false-positive HIV results were recorded, of which 122 (17.3%) had detectable Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antibodies. The remaining 585 (82.7%) false positives were either healthy patients or patients recovered from COVID-19 with no detectable COVID-19 antibodies. Twenty-five distinct tests were used as initial and confirmatory tests for both COVID-19 and HIV. Six (24%) unique fourth-generation HIV antigen/antibody combination tests, six (24%) HIV-specific molecular tests, and four (16%) HIV immunoassays were used.
ConclusionCOVID-19 should be considered a potential cause of false-positive results in HIV tests, due to the cross-reactivity between the antibodies or antigens from both viruses.
Hoshmand R. Asaad, Heero Ismael Faraj, Dana T. Gharib, Mohammed Shaikhani, Karokh F. Hama Hussein, Deari A. Ismaeil, Dlshad Hama Saeed Ahmed, Omar H. Ghalib Hawramy and 4 more
Introduction Rectal bleeding is a prevalent clinical symptom associated with various anorectal pathology. Colonoscopy is a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool for a wide range of colorectal diseases. The objective of this study was to identify potential alternative diagnoses for hematochezia observed during…
Colonoscopic Findings in Patients with Rectal Bleeding Suspected to Have Internal Hemorrhoids: A Cohort Study
Hoshmand R. Asaad, Heero Ismael Faraj, Dana T. Gharib, Mohammed Shaikhani, Karokh F. Hama Hussein, Deari A. Ismaeil, Dlshad Hama Saeed Ahmed, Omar H. Ghalib Hawramy and 4 more
IntroductionRectal bleeding is a prevalent clinical symptom associated with various anorectal pathology. Colonoscopy is a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool for a wide range of colorectal diseases. The objective of this study was to identify potential alternative diagnoses for hematochezia observed during colonoscopy, which initially appeared to be caused by hemorrhoids.
MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on a total of 80 consecutive patients who had been clinically diagnosed with rectal bleeding. The patients underwent a digital rectal examination, and then they were prepared for a total colonoscopy. Biopsies were taken from patients who had abnormal findings and sent for histopathological examination.
ResultsA total ileo-colonoscopy was performed on 80 patients presenting with rectal bleeding. The male-to-female ratio was 1.05:1, with a mean age of 45.40±15.54 years old. About 56.3% of the patients had only hemorrhoids, while other findings were observed in 43.7% of the cases. The other findings were anal fissures, proctitis, colitis, solitary rectal ulcer, colorectal carcinoma, diverticula, or polyps.
ConclusionRectal bleeding can stem from various causes, among them hemorrhoids. Thus, colonoscopy stands as an essential diagnostic tool for accurately identifying the causes of the condition.
