People who show no symptoms during early-stage HIV may become symptomatic and begin to feel sick if the virus progresses. First, at this stage, levels of HIV in your blood and bodily fluids are very high. Second, starting treatment as soon as possible will help boost your immune system and ease your symptoms.
How HIV infects the body
You can pass the virus on to other people, but it’s extremely rare if you take your medicines. In your body, cells called CD4 T cells coordinate your immune system’s response. During this stage, untreated HIV will kill CD4 cells and destroy your immune system. Your doctor can check how many of these cells you have with blood tests.
Health Conditions
It’s called acute retroviral syndrome or primary HIV infection. After the acute phase, the virus enters a stage of relative calm known as clinical latency or chronic HIV infection. During this period, which can last several years, people may not have symptoms, but the virus continues to replicate at lower levels. Without treatment, the virus eventually weakens the immune system.
First Stage: Early HIV Symptoms
At this stage, the immune system is profoundly compromised. Without treatment, life expectancy is drastically reduced. HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the immune system—the body’s natural defense against infections. Specifically, HIV targets CD4 cells (also known as T-helper cells), which play a crucial role in coordinating the immune response. Over time, if left untreated, HIV destroys so many of these cells that the body becomes vulnerable to opportunistic infections and certain cancers. Early signs of HIV can include symptoms like rash, fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and night sweats.
- Having oral thrush does not automatically mean that you have HIV, but it could be a sign that you should get tested if you are at risk.
- That means you can’t catch HIV or get AIDS by hugging, kissing, dancing or shaking hands with someone who has the infection.
- Ask your doctor if you should think about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which means you’d take HIV medicine to prevent an infection.
- Weight loss is common in people living with HIV during the advanced stages of the disease.
- If you have symptoms like these and might have come into contact with someone with HIV in the past 2 to 6 weeks, go to a doctor and get an HIV test.
Preventing Opportunistic Infections
The stages of HIV infection are acute infection (also known as primary infection), latency, and AIDS. The latency stage involves few or no symptoms and can last anywhere from two weeks to twenty years or more, depending on the individual. Within 2 to 4 weeks after exposure, many people experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and rash. This is called acute HIV infection and represents the body’s initial immune response.
Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) can occur in the early stages of HIV as the body tries to kill the virus. Early acute HIV infection (AHI) can cause symptoms similar to the flu, including fever and chills. These symptoms may appear two to six weeks after infection, and then go away. If HIV remains untreated, these symptoms may return a few years later. Below are the three stages of how HIV progresses and some of the symptoms people may experience. Having symptoms alone does not mean you have HIV – other illness can cause similar symptoms.
Early signs of HIV can include fatigue, rash, fever, chills, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, oral thrush, and night sweats. Some symptoms appear in the early stages of HIV, while others show up in later stages. Some people develop AIDS a few years after infection, while others remain symptom-free for 10 years or longer. HIV can progress to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) over time if left untreated. AIDS-defining illnesses include opportunistic infections (acquired due to a compromised immune system) and cancers. These illnesses are life-threatening to people with HIV.
- In this stage, symptomatic HIV infection, you start to notice problems caused by these “opportunistic” infections.
- Specifically, HIV targets CD4 cells (also known as T-helper cells), which play a crucial role in coordinating the immune response.
- Unlike many other viruses, retroviruses carry their genetic information in the form of RNA rather than DNA.
- Untreated, HIV most often turns into AIDS in about 8 to 10 years.
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It is also possible for a person with untreated HIV to spread the virus to a child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. In the beginning, HIV symptoms can look like other viral illnesses. More severe symptoms tend to come up later if your immune system is damaged from untreated HIV. When you have HIV and are in treatment, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about any symptoms you’re having to figure out the cause.
Since not everyone has early symptoms of HIV, getting tested is the only way to know if the virus has been contracted. An early diagnosis also allows an HIV-positive person to begin treatment. Proper treatment can eliminate their risk of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners. Most people don’t have symptoms they can see or feel at this stage. You may not realize you’re infected and can pass HIV on to others. If you’re taking ART, you might stay in this phase for decades.
How long does it take for HIV symptoms to show?
Also called sleep hyperhidrosis, night sweats are more than just being sweaty when sleeping—they will drench clothes and bedding and may cause shivers. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. But some people do not have any symptoms at all during this early stage of HIV. It depends on the person and what stage of the disease they are in.
The earlier you are bitit review diagnosed with HIV and start treatment, the better your health will be over time. This is why testing for HIV is so important because you can’t know if you have HIV from symptoms alone. Once you’re diagnosed you can start HIV treatment which keeps you healthy and make less likely to pass HIV on.
How Can You Tell If You Have HIV?
You’re more likely to pass the virus onto others if you have unprotected sex or share needles to inject drugs. During this period, around 2-6 weeks after getting HIV, you may have flu-like symptoms. You may only get some of the symptoms and some people don’t have any symptoms at all. Some people infected by HIV get a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks after the virus enters the body.
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