What are the symptoms of HIV?

Many people who are infected with HIV experience a set of flu-like symptoms -- such as high fever, sore throat, swollen glands, extreme fatigue, and rash -- within one month of infection. After the initial reaction to HIV infection (called acute seroconversion), most people feel fairly healthy for several years. But as immune function begins to break down, symptoms of AIDS start to appear. These include weight loss, fatigue, swollen glands (lumps in the neck, armpits, or groin), and skin rashes. Night sweats, fevers, thrush, headaches, diarrhea, and loss of appetite can also occur. Recurrent vaginal yeast infections, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, frequently recurring severe genital herpes, or human papillomavirus (HPV) -- the virus that causes venereal warts (condyloma) -- can also indicate that HIV infection has progressed to AIDS.

Opportunistic infections, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), severe thrush, or lymphoma often occur when the immune system has been severely damaged by HIV.

Early symptoms: Many patients are asymptomatic (experience no symptoms) when they first become infected with HIV. After one or two months, an estimated 80-90% of HIV patients develops flu-like symptoms, including, headache, fever, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes. These symptoms usually last about one week to one month and are often mistaken for another viral infection, such as the flu. Despite having minimal or no symptoms during this stage, individuals are very infectious because the virus is present in large quantities in bodily fluids.

The most obvious sign of HIV infection is a decrease in the number of CD4 cells in the blood. These cells help fight against infection. HIV slowly kills these cells without causing symptoms. Even when the infected individual is asymptomatic, the virus is multiplying, infecting, and destroying cells in the immune system.

As the immune system continues to weaken, many symptoms appear, including inflamed lymph nodes (swollen glands) that may be enlarged for longer than three months. Other symptoms may include fatigue, weight loss, frequent fevers and sweats, persistent or frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal), persistent skin rashes or flaky skin, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women that does not respond well to treatment, and short-term memory loss.

AIDS symptoms: Once the patient's CD4 T-cell count is less than 200 cells per microliter of blood, their condition has progressed to AIDS, the final stage of the disease. The first symptoms often include moderate and unexplained weight loss, frequent lung infections, and oral ulcerations (sores).

Patients are vulnerable to opportunistic infections and tumors. Opportunistic infections and tumors may include tuberculosis,thrush, herpes viruses, shingles, Epstein-Barr virus, pneumonia, and a type of cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). In the last stages of AIDS, it is common for individuals to have cytomegalovirus or Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Some people get a flu-like illness within the first few months of infection. They develop headache, fever, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes. Late in the disease, when the immune system is weakened, other symptoms begin to appear, such as frequent yeast infections, unusual rashes, fevers and sweats, weight loss, severe herpes infections, and/or short-term memory loss.

The spectrum of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection ranges from a person with a positive test for HIV without any signs of immune deficiency to a person with full-blown AIDS. The onset of AIDS can be either sudden, with the development of fever, sweats, malaise, fatigability, joint and muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, diarrhea, generalized swelling of lymph glands, and/or rash on the trunk; or it can be more insidious, presenting as unexplained progressive fatigue, weight loss, fever, diarrhea, and/or generalized swelling of the lymph glands. Anyone experiencing symptoms suggestive of AIDS or HIV infection should consult a physician.

The initial HIV infection often causes a flu-like illness within the first one to two months of infection. Symptoms of this illness often include body aches, sore throat, fever, rash, headache, night sweats and diarrhea. These symptoms may be mild and go unnoticed. After this acute phase of infection, the virus becomes more latent and can persist without any symptoms for years. 

As the virus slowly overwhelms the immune system, symptoms such as white patches in the mouth known as thrush, significant weight loss, chronic diarrhea, and cough occur and can signal progression to AIDS. 

If you think you have been infected with HIV, please seek medical attention for proper testing and early detection.

HIV may not cause symptoms early on. People who do have symptoms may mistake them for the flu or mono. Early symptoms of HIV are called acute retroviral syndrome.

The symptoms may include:

• Belly cramps, nausea or vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin.
• Fever.
• Headache.
• Muscle aches and joint pain.
• Skin rash.
• Sore throat.
• Weight loss.

These first symptoms can range from mild to severe and usually disappear on their own after 2 to 3 weeks. But many people don't have symptoms or they have such mild symptoms that they don't notice them at this stage.

After the early symptoms go away, an infected person may not have symptoms again for many years. After a certain point, symptoms reappear and then remain.

Untreated HIV infection progresses in stages. These stages are based on your symptoms and the amount of the virus in your blood.

Later symptoms

• Later symptoms may include:
• Diarrhea or other bowel changes.
• Fatigue.
• Fever. Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss.
• Dry cough or shortness of breath.
• Nail changes.
• Night sweats.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin.
• Pain when swallowing.
• Confusion, trouble concentrating or personality changes.
• Repeated outbreaks of cold sores or genital herpes sores.
• Tingling, numbness and weakness in the limbs.
• Mouth sores or a yeast infection of the mouth (thrush).

Symptoms in women and children

• HIV may be suspected when a woman has at least one of the following:
• More than 3 vaginal yeast infections in 1 year that aren't related to the use of antibiotics
• Recurrent pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Abnormal Pap test or cervical cancer

Children who have HIV often have different symptoms (for example, delayed growth or an enlarged spleen ) than teens or adults.