The Symptoms of an HIV Infection

The signs and symptoms associated with HIV and AIDS will differ depending on the phase of the patient’s infection. Let’s start by looking at what types of symptoms are typical of an early stage infection.

(If you or someone you know has contracted HIV, then we recommend looking into a HIV/AIDS clinical trial. Clinical research is helping to develop better forms of treatment to keep AIDS patients alive longer.)

Primary Infection

Most people who have contracted HIV develop flu-like symptoms within a month or two— often described as the “worst flu ever”. Doctor’s refer to this as “acute retroviral syndrome” (ARS) or “primary HIV infection,” but it’s the body’s natural response to an infection of this magnitude.

Additional indications for HIV include:

  • Headache
  • Fever
  • Rash
  • Muscle aches
  • Sore throat
  • Chills
  • Ulcers in the mouth or on the genitals
  • Joint pain
  • Night sweats
  • Diarrhea
  • Swollen lymph glands (mostly around the neck)

Although some people may not notice the symptoms of primary HIV infection, the viral load (amount of virus in the bloodstream) is quite high at that point. This allows the virus to spread more efficiently than it does during later stages.

Clinically Latent Infection

Some people may also enter into a stage known as the “clinical latency” stage not long after contracting HIV. This means that virus is living and developing within the patient’s body, but it is not producing any symptoms. This may sound familiiar to what happens with people who contract HCV, which is why this stage is sometimes referred to as the “asymptomatic HIV infection”.

The clinical latent infection usually lasts around 10 weeks, but some patients can stay in this stage for longer periods of time. After that though, the disease starts to become even more serious.

Early Symptomatic HIV Infection

Progressing past these prior stages, the virus will continue multiplying and killing off the body’s immune cells. The following signs and symptoms are all typical amongst patients:

  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Swollen lymph nodes (remember this is usually one of the first signs of an HIV infection)
  • Cough
  • Diarrhea
  • Shortness of breath
  • Weight loss

Eventual Progression to AIDS

If you don’t receive any treatment for the HIV infection, you’ll likely develop AIDS within a decade. By this point, the immune system is all but completely defunct, which means patients are highly susceptible to a variety of other diseases and infections (things that people with healthy immune systems never have to worry about).

People who have developed AIDS may exhibit any of the following symptoms:

  • Cough
  • Severe night sweats
  • Shortness of breath
  • High fever (over 100 degrees) or violent chills that can last for weeks
  • Severe diarrhea
  • Headaches
  • Weight loss
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on the tongue or in the mouth
  • Blurry or distorted vision
  • Skin rashes or bumps

Seeking Medical Attention

If you believe that you may have come in contact or at maybe at risk for contracting the HIV virus, then it’s strongly advisable that you schedule a visit with your doctor as soon as possible.