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HIV Signs on the Body

HIV disease can lead to a number of symptoms that visibly affect the body. However, many of these are not specific to HIV and most, moreover, do not appear until the HIV disease has reached its advanced stages. It is therefore important not to rely on visual cues to determine whether someone has HIV.

  1. Acute HIV

    • The most obvious sign of acute HIV infection, the first stage of HIV disease (occurring between two and four weeks after infection) is a red skin rash. It starts on the upper body and head and may spread, sometimes causing peeling and ulcerations. This is similar to rashes caused by other viruses; some people do not develop symptoms of acute HIV.

    Symptomatic HIV

    • The signs on the body of third-stage (symptomatic) HIV include chronically swollen lymph glands, weight loss, fungal infections and dermatitis. These are all also conditions that occur in people who do not have HIV.

    AIDS

    • AIDS (fourth-stage HIV) causes the most recognizable signs of the HIV infection. These include the purple skin lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma as well as fungal infections of the mouth and vagina. Opportunistic infections with human papillomavirus and herpes viruses lead to warts and blisters.

    Asymptomatic HIV

    • Asymptomatic HIV is the longest stage of HIV, lasting an average of 10 years. This stage is marked by a lack of symptoms and of any obvious signs on the body.

    Testing

    • Because HIV has a long stage with no symptoms and does not causes specific symptoms until it is advanced, the only way to know if one has been infected is through testing (see link in Resources).

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