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Teen HIV Symptoms

Symptoms of HIV-disease in teenagers vary among individuals and depending on when the virus was contracted. Those who contracted the virus at or near birth may experience the symptoms of advanced HIV-disease, including AIDS. Teens who contract the virus during their teen years will experience an adult-like progression of HIV-disease.

  1. MTCT

    • HIV can be transmitted from an infected mother to her child (mother-to-child transmission or MTCT) at three different stages: pregnancy, labor and delivery, and during breastfeeding. Some children who contract HIV develop a very serious illness early in life. Children who do not become sick within the first years of life may not develop symptoms until as late as adolescence, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

    Disease Progression

    • According to NIAID, about half of children who acquire HIV at or around birth are alive and comparatively healthy at and past the age of 9. Adolescents who develop symptoms arising from HIV contracted at or around birth may experience opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis pneumonia, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis (breathing difficulties), thrush and chronic diarrhea as the result of intestinal infections. HIV encephalopathy may lead to problems with walking, difficulty in school and seizures (NIAID). Adolescents with HIV may also become more ill as the result of normal childhood infections.

    Other Transmission

    • More common than developing symptoms as a result of MTCT, teens are affected by HIV acquired through unprotected sex and the use of shared injection drug paraphernalia. Teens who contract HIV during their teen years experience a more adult-like progression of HIV-disease. The symptoms of acute HIV infection include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat and aches and pains, skin rash, digestive problems and fatigue (HIV-Symptoms.info). After acute HIV infection, HIV-disease enters its asymptomatic phase; this stage, which has no symptoms, lasts for an average of 10 years.

    Testing

    • The symptoms of acute HIV infection are similar to those of other viral infections. This means that even teens who sought out treatment at this stage could not be diagnosed with HIV unless an HIV test were performed. Teens who believe they have been exposed to HIV should seek out testing. Being screened for HIV helps teens prevent transmitting the virus to others and is the only way to know one's status. See Resources to locate testing centers.

    Monitoring

    • Teens found to be HIV-positive should be monitored for the progression of HIV-disease. Recommended doctor's visits to check on CD4 cell count, which is a type of cell targeted by HIV, and viral load, which is the number of virus particles present in the blood, should be kept. Monitoring the progression of HIV-disease allows patients and physicians to make appropriate decisions about health choices and beginning antiretroviral therapy.

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