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What Are the Symptoms?

HIV is never diagnosed by symptoms because an infected person may or may not show signs of their disease.

HIV infection comes in three stages. The first stage is called acute infection or seroconversion and it happens within two to six weeks after infection. This is when the body's immune system puts up a fight against the HIV. The symptoms of seroconversion look like those of any viral illness and is often compared to getting the flu, another virus. The symptoms may last a week or two and then completely go away as the virus goes into a non-symptomatic stage. The initial symptoms of seroconversion may include any of the following:

• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Nausea & vomiting
• Fatigue
• Aching muscles
• Sore throat
• Red rash that doesn't itch. Usually on the torso
• Fever

IMPORTANT: We can now prevent the HIV from taking hold in a body if we act very quickly after initial infection. Health care workers, police, and firefighters who are exposed to HIV infected blood often use this process which involves using anti-HIV drugs that must be taken within hours or days of initial exposure.

If you think you have come in contact with the HIV through a risky behavior, don't hesitate to call your doctor. You may be tested using sensitive tests which detect actual viral material in the blood. Regular HIV tests don't work this soon after infection. You may be given anti-HIV drugs that you must take for a prescribed period of time. There may be unpleasant side effects to these drugs, however they may stop the HIV from infecting you.

Most people do not know they have been infected, and weeks later they experience the symptoms of seroconversion. These symptoms mean the body is struggling with the HIV.

After this first seroconversion period, the immune system loses the battle and the symptoms go away. The HIV goes into the next stage which can be a long period without symptoms, the asymptomatic period. This is when the person may not know they are infected and could pass the HIV on to others. This period can last up to ten years.

During this asymptomatic period, the HIV is slowly but surely killing the CD4 T-cells and destroying the immune system. Normally a person has a CD4 T-cell count between 450 and 1400 cells per microliter. This number changes constantly, depending upon a person's state of health. For an HIV infected person, the number of CD4 T-cells steadily drops putting them in danger of other infections.
When the CD4 T-cell number reaches 200, they are diagnosed with AIDS, because we know that's what kills CD4 T-cells.

Once a person has a low level of CD4 T-cells, they may receive medications to prevent opportunistic infections. Sometimes a person living with HIV may take many different drugs not to treat infections, but to keep them from starting. Sometimes it's tiresome to take the drugs, however, it is very important not to stop these medications without telling one's doctor.

If a person never knew they were infected with the HIV, they may discover the infection after experiencing some of the following signs and symptoms:

• Being tired all the time.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck or groin.
• Fever lasting more than 10 days.
• Night sweats.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Purplish spots on the skin that don't go away.
• Shortness of breath.
• Severe, long-lasting diarrhea.
• Yeast infections in the mouth, throat, or vagina.
• Easy bruising or unexplained bleeding.

These are serious symptoms and signs of disease, which may be HIV. Call your doctor if you experience any of them.