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HIV/AIDS
Symptoms
It's one of the most common questions we
are asked on the hotline: "What are the symptoms of AIDS?" In order
to answer that question, we have to keep in mind several different
issues:
Symptom-Free Period
Becoming infected with HIV and becoming sick from AIDS are two different
events (read about the difference between
HIV and AIDS). For most people, it takes many years from the time
someone is infected with HIV to the time that they develop symptoms
of AIDS. Some people get sick sooner and others stay well longer,
especially with treatment. However, there is almost always a significant
period of time after infection when an HIV-positive individual will
have no symptoms at all -- often 10 years or more.
Keeping in mind the two separate events (becoming HIV-infected vs.
actually developing AIDS) can help you to remember that there are
also two separate time periods when someone may show symptoms related
to HIV-infection.
Acute Viral Syndrome
The first time period is during the first few weeks after infection
from HIV. Some people who are newly infected may develop
flu-like symptoms within the first month or so after getting HIV.
These early symptoms can feel very much like the flu (fever, headache,
weakness, fatigue, body aches, etc.), and they can be mild or severe.
The flu-like symptoms typically last for only about week, and then
go away on their own. Acute Viral Syndrome is not an ongoing
condition that lasts for weeks and weeks or that comes and goes
over a long period of time. In addition, it's important to know
that:
- Not everyone who is infected with HIV will
experience these early, flu-like symptoms of Acute Viral Syndrome.
Many people will have no symptoms at all until years after infection.
- The symptoms of Acute Viral Syndrome are the
same as the symptoms for the flu and many other illnesses. If
you have these symptoms right after a possible exposure to HIV,
it does not mean you that have the virus, or even that you probably
have it. The only way to find out if you have HIV is to get an
HIV test.
Symptoms of AIDS
The other time when someone may have symptoms related to HIV is much
later in their illness, once their body's immune system has been damaged
by the virus and they are starting to become sick with AIDS. As mentioned
before, this is usually years after they've been infected by HIV.
Because AIDS is a disorder of the immune system, it makes people sick
by making their bodies vulnerable to a wide variety of illnesses (opportunistic
infections), each with its own symptoms. For this reason, there isn't
a simple checklist of "AIDS symptoms" that we can give you. Two people
who are both sick with AIDS can have completely different sets of
symptoms (or even no symptoms at all).
If you have symptoms that are bothering you or that aren't going away,
your best option is to be checked by a health care provider. Any
symptom that could be a sign of AIDS could also be a sign of something
else. Again, the only way to know if you are HIV-positive is to
take an HIV test.
If you live in Florida and you have further questions or concerns
about HIV/AIDS symptoms, or if you need a referral to an HIV test
site, please call the Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline (1-800-FLA-AIDS) or
send us a message.
If you live outside of Florida, visit The
Body to find an AIDS hotline near you.
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