During the window period of HIV, changes in the patient’s blood count can also occur. These changes are mainly due to acute damage to the immune system caused by the replication of HIV in the blood. These changes are usually short-lived and can return to normal within 1-3 weeks. Therefore, it is not possible to determine whether a patient is infected with HIV by changes in blood count. To determine whether a patient is infected with HIV, the diagnosis can be confirmed by checking HIV-RNA and P24 antigen during the acute phase, also known as the window phase. HIV-RNA can be detected in the blood 7 to 10 days after HIV infection.