During your regular check-ups at your HIV clinic, there are a number of ways you and your doctor can check your health. The most common are:

Talking. It is important to be honest with your doctor about how you are feeling, any problems or concerns you have, or any symptoms and side-effects you are experiencing. Your doctor should ask you questions, such as whether you are having any problems taking any anti-HIV drugs you are on or how they make you feel. But it’s a good idea to come prepared with anything you’ve noticed, or are worried or curious about.

Physical examinations. If you mention any symptoms, part of your check-up will involve your doctor looking at your body and examining any unusual signs or symptoms. Your doctor, or another member of the healthcare team, will also regularly check your weight and blood pressure.

Blood tests. Samples of blood will be taken and these will be examined in a laboratory. These tests are used to assess how HIV is affecting you and how well any treatment is working, and to check your general health. Often your doctor will order several different blood tests. It may look like you’re having a lot of blood taken, but only about a teaspoon of blood is taken in each test tube.

Occasionally, you may have other types of tests as well.

X-rays, scans and ultrasounds. If you have some specific symptoms, then you may need to have tests such as X-rays, scans or ultrasounds that allow your doctor to see inside your body(see Investigations).

Small surgical procedures. For some investigations, it may be necessary to remove a small sample of body tissue for examination in a laboratory. This is called a biopsy and it’s normal to have this done using a local anaesthetic.