Early symptoms of HIV infection may be mild and easily dismissed. But even without noticeable symptoms, an infected person can still pass the virus to others. That’s one of many reasons why it’s important to know if you have the disease.
In the early stages of infection, many people will develop little or no signs of illness. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons why 20 percent of the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV go undiagnosed. They either don't realize they've been infected or will only act when outward signs begin to appear.
However, as many as 40 percent of cases, flu-like symptoms will develop within 7 to 14 days of an exposure.
This condition is commonly referred to as acute retroviral syndrome, or ARS (alternately known as acute seroconversion syndrome or seroconversion illness).
ARS can often present with the following symptoms, ranging from mild to severe:
- fever
- fatigue
- headache
- pharyngitis (sore throat)
- myalgia (muscular aches and pain)
- arthralgia (joint pain)
- lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph glands)
Occasionally, these symptoms will be accompanied by a rash (popularly referred to as an HIV rash) which manifests with pink-to-red bumps that converge into larger patches, primarily on the upper half of the body. Moreover, 30 percent of individuals will experience short-term nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Most of these symptoms are a result of the body’s response to HIV as it rapidly spreads from the site of infection to lymph tissue, triggering an inflammatory response.
ARS can persist for months until such time as the immune system begins to take control of virus and moves into what we call the chronic (persistent) stage of infection.
While HIV will still be replicating during later stage infection, it generally does so at a slower level until the HIV viral load is finally stabilized and a viral set point is established.
Confirming an HIV Infection now!!!
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