Do autoimmune diseases suppress the immune system?

Do they? Or is it the drugs you take for autoimmune diseases that suppress the immune system? Can long term stress or autoimmune diseases suppress the immune system and affect test results, such as HIV, and cause false negatives or positives after about 7 months or so? If you're under a great deal of stress for a long time, or have an autoimmune disease, does it take longer for your body to produce antibodies against diseases, like HIV? Will 7 months have been long enough of a time to wait before getting tested for HIV? Especially since you're not sexually active or do drugs?

Thanks!

Wow - you've quite a few questions there.

Autoimmune diseases can reduce your immune system's effectiveness, yes. However, diseases like Lupus cause the immune system to attack the body, in which case drugs are perscribed to subdue the immune system. Stress does indeed affect your body's immunity in a negative capacity.

Seven months, though? That's a long time for the body to recover its immune defense. Dealing with HIV is something best, perhaps, reserved for medical professionals. There are hosts of checks and tests that can give you definitive answers to your questions much better than the internet can.