HIV: Signs and Symptoms

HIV standing for human immunodeficiency virus is a life-threatening health issues that you can get from having unprotected sex with unknown multiple persons. As a health conscious person, you should avoid having physical intimacy with unknown people. Never miss using a condom and maintaining hygiene if you are highly active in your sexual life. You should get an HIV test in Greater Noida or your local town/city as you make love without using a protection method.

HIV infections take place in three different stages, and each state has its own signs. Having an idea about the signs will help you get diagnosed and treated soon. Have a look at each HIV infection stage with its signs:

Acute HIV infection – Primary stage

Many of you are not aware of the time of getting affected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). You have visible HIV signs and symptoms anytime between 2 and 6 weeks after getting the virus inside you. It happens as the immune system in your body is on a fight against the virus. Medical experts call it primary/acute HIV infection or acute retroviral syndrome. Here are signs and symptoms in the primary stage:

• Aching muscles
• Headache
• Chills
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Night sweats
• A red rash that doesn’t itch, generally on your torso
• Fever
• Ulcers (sores) in your anus, genitals, mouth, or oesophagus
• Headache and other neurological symptoms

Clinical latency – Second stage

You enter into the 2nd stage when your body’s fight with the virus. And your body starts facing a lot of things inside. Medical experts call it chronic HIV infection or asymptomatic period. If you miss having an HIV test just after having unprotected physical intimacy with an unknown HIV positive person, you must visit a doctor and get the test done. Here are some signs you may experience after 6 weeks of getting the virus:

• Oral thrush
• Bacterial pneumonia
• Genital herpes
• HIV-associated diarrhoea
• Shingles

Symptomatic HIV – Third stage

In this stage, there is a compromise in your immune system and your body can’t defend you from having the infection. Medical experts call this stage AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and as life threatening. Getting into this means you may not survive or live alive. As per CDC, the third stage has more than 27 signs. Here are some of them to educate you:

• Fever for more than 10 days
• Tiredness for maximum time
• Swollen lymph nodes in your groyne or neck
• Night sweats
• Unexpected weight loss without any obvious reason
• Shortness of breath
• Purplish spots on your skin
• Severe and long-lasting diarrhoea
• Yeast infections in your throat, mouth, or vagina
• Unexplained bruises or bleeding
• Neurological symptoms like confusion, memory loss, behaviour changes, balance problems, vision changes, and seizures
• Bacterial infections
• Cervical cancer

How to stay safe

HIV in all phases is treatable. You need to do nothing beyond your doctor’s advice. Here are some steps that can help you stay safe from having HIV:

• As far as possible, make love only with your spouse
• Avoid having unprotected physical intimacy
• Never use a blade or razor of any person or even of your family members
• Avoid having injections from a needle used for others
• Consult a doctor soon if you make love with an unknown person without any protection to get tested for HIV infection

Take away

Being aware of HIV signs and symptoms is highly beneficial for you. With it, you can easily detect it in the early stage and treat it if you detect. Timely detection, treatment, and care will help you enjoy a healthy life without any threat. If you want the full body checkup you can contact with UniQ Pathlab.