Possible 10 year ago exposure

[Dp2009]

Hi, I had unprotected sex nealry 10 years ago, it started off protected but I was drunk at the time and it ended up unproteced.  I was 18 at the time and it was my first sexual experience.  It was in the North east of England, the girl was maybe 19 or 20, she had had a hyterectomy after giving birth maybe 3 or 4 years prior (from what i can remember) and wasent to bothered about the condom.  This has made me extra worried, as she may have had unprotected sex many times.  I done some research, in 1999 in the entire region of the north east, the HPA website said there may have been about 500 people (including people unaware) with HIV.  Not sure how many white hetrosexuals females this would include, but i believe it was about 10 to 20%.  Aswell as this the website stated most hetrosexual infections were contracted abroad.  I suffer from OCD and i'm extremely worried, mainly because i have been with my girl friend for 9 years and im also worried i may have gave her it.  I remember in that year i had an extremely soar throat, which at the time felt like Tonsillitis.  I cant place when this 'tonsillitis' ocurred but my girl friend who i met about 6 or 7 months later, remembers me taking alot of paracetamol, often. I also had Tonsillities about 1 and a half to 2 years prior.  Just wanting to know if this 'soar throat' sounds like acute hiv infection? Also should i have had some symptoms by now? I have read differering opinions on this, some say after 9 or 10 years you should have symptoms some say you should'nt.  thirdly, cn Tonsillitis reocurr after 2 years and stay persistent over a few weeks or months period?  I do intend to get tested, just very worried atm and in the middle of my degree exams, so extra stressed aswell with my OCD in overdrive.  

Thanks for your advice.

[Dp2009]

Thank you again for your advise.  

[Edward W Hook, MD]

This iwas not acute HIV infection, it was a plain old, every day, sore throat. No change in my assessment.  EWH

[Dp2009]

Thanks for your reply,
What has really been promoting my anxiety has been the symptoms (soar throat) I had about the same time.  Although I cant quite place when the soar throat ocurred, I remember it lasting for a long time, and I also rememeber taking alot of paracetamol over a long period of time.  Just worried this was acute hiv infection, since I can remember having chills with it also.  I also remember having a small cut on my penis after the exposure, which has also made me extra worried about an increased risk of transmision.  Do you think this would increase the risk substantially?  

Thanks for your advice.      

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I hope that my comments will help you to ratchet down your anxiety over this distant exposure.  You really have nothing to worry about.  The HIV test you plan to take (please do it soon) will prove this unequivocally.

Here are the reason I am confident that you are almost certain to have a negative HIV test:
1.  In 1999, the chances of your being exposed to a female sex partner with HIV was less than 1 in 10,000 and, if she was not an IV drug user, still lower.
2.  If, by some weird coincidence your partner did have HIV (most unlikely) your chances of getting infected from a single heterosexual exposure is less than 1 infection per 1000 exposures.
3.  If you had gotten HIV in 1999, chances are quite good that you would have developed HIV symptoms by this time, which you have not.

Finally, as for your sore throat, only the smallest fraction of sore throats are due to recent acquisition of HIV.  The symptoms you describe do not match up well with the acute retroviral syndrome.

Bottom line, your risk is close to zero.  Get the test as you plan.  the result will be negative.  At that time, put your concerns behind you and move on.

Take care.  EWH