HIV Rash Symptoms

There are a number of points in HIV-disease in which a rash might appear. These include the initial stage of infection as well as the third and fourth stages of HIV, in which fungi and, later, other organisms taking advantage of the weakened state of the immune system can cause a rash. Rash can also occur as a side effect of some medications used in the treatment of HIV-disease.

Acute Infection Rash

• Rash occurs as one of the symptoms of acute HIV infection, also known as seroconversion illness. This set of symptoms generally occurs between two and four weeks after infection. According to the Australasian College of Dermatologists, the rash starts on the upper body and can also involve the palms; the rash may or may not involve itching and may or may not cause skin ulcers.

  The symptoms of acute HIV infection are non-diagnostic. This means that a diagnosis of HIV is impossible without further testing. People who believe they have been exposed to HIV should consult a health care professional about testing (see Resources).

Symptomatic HIV Rash

• According to HIV-Symptoms.info, dermatitis, a rash-like condition, appears as one of the symptoms of the third stage of HIV-disease, known as symptomatic HIV. This stage occurs after asymptomatic HIV (the longest stage of HIV-disease, during which no symptoms are present) and before AIDS occurs. Symptomatic HIV-disease generally lasts between one and three years, during which time chronic conditions develop.

  HIV InSite reports that dermatitis symptoms that appear during symptomatic HIV are caused by seborrheic dermatitis, which generally manifests on the scalp and on the face, with additional affected areas sometimes including the chest, armpits and groin. Seborrheic dermatitis leads to a pink rash that may or may not be scaly.

Herpes Rashes in HIV

• Herpesvirus infection can lead to worse symptoms in people with advanced HIV-disease than in others. This includes both oral and genital herpes, which both cause red rashes on which appear fluid-filled blisters. These break open and crust over.

  People with weakened immune systems are also at increased risk for a shingles outbreak, which is caused by human herpesvirus-3 (also known as varicella-zoster virus). Shingles also causes a red rash and blisters, accompanied by pain that can be intense following the path of the affected nerve.

Other Skin Rashes

• There is a wide variety of other conditions found in people with HIV-disease that can lead to skin rash. These include viral infections like Molluscum contagiosum, which causes waxy bumps which contain white, solid material; HPV warts; tinea (common fungal infections like ringworm, jock itch and athlete's foot); bacterial folliculitis, which causes a rash with pus around hair follicles; scabies, a mite infection; psoriasis; hives; and Eosinophilic folliculitis, which causes a rash similar to pimples on many parts of the body.

Drugs Rashes

• Treatment for HIV-disease with some antiretroviral drugs can also lead to rash symptoms. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), some antiretrovirals that commonly cause rash include nevirapine, abacavir, amprenavir and tipranavir. People taking antiretroviral drugs should always keep their physicians informed of side effects they experience so that the efficacy of the treatment can be weighed against the side effects.