All patients who
undergo treatment in a hospital should be offered HIV
antibody tests regardless of whether they're in a
high-risk group, according to a study in the April
issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Reuters
Health reports. Currently, hospital patients are
screened for HIV only if they're deemed to be
at a high risk for infection, but researchers at Boston
Medical Center write that HIV antibody testing should
become routine in U.S. hospitals. They also point out
that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has recommended routine testing for inpatients since 1993.
The scientists
are basing their recommendation on a study that showed
about half of HIV infections found through routine testing
in hospital settings would not have been identified
because the patients were not considered to be in a
high-risk group. The study also showed that routine
testing can identify HIV infections at earlier stages of the
disease when HIV is easier to treat. Without routine
testing, those deemed not at risk for the disease
might not be diagnosed with HIV infection until they are
experiencing AIDS-related complications, the researchers
say. (The Advocate)