Early Symptoms of HIV Virus

The earliest symptoms of HIV occur during seroconversion illness, your body's first attempt at controlling the virus. After these symptoms clear up, HIV enters an asymptomatic (meaning there are no symptoms) stage; symptoms do not reappear until HIV has progressed to its third stage, and asymptomatic HIV lasts for an average of 10 years. Because of this and other factors, testing is the only way to know one's HIV status, and people who believe they may have been exposed to HIV, through unprotected penetrative sex or the shared use of hypodermic needles, should ask a health care professional about testing.

Acute HIV Infection

• Sometime during acute HIV infection, the time directly following infection with HIV, many people develop symptoms known as seroconversion illness. Seroconversion is the process in which the body develops a detectable level of antibodies to a pathogen, in this case the human immunodeficiency virus, and seroconversion illness occurs as a result of this immune response.

  Symptoms of this stage of HIV generally occur two to four weeks after infection and include, according to HIV-Symptoms.info: aches and pains, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, loss of appetite, and other digestive troubles and skin rash.

  The most important thing to remember about this group of symptoms is that they are nondiagnostic; this means that even people who seek out medical treatment for them will not be diagnosed with HIV on the basis of these symptoms alone.

Asymptomatic HIV

• Directly after the symptoms of seroconversion illness clear up (within one month, according to HIV-Symptoms.info), HIV disease enters its asymptomatic stage. This is the longest stage of HIV and can last up to 10 years or more.

  Because the symptoms of acute HIV infection are mild and nonspecific and because the longest stage of HIV disease is asymptomatic, many people are unaware that they have contracted the virus. This puts others at potential risk, as necessary precautions, such as the use of condoms and not sharing hypodermic needles, are not taken. To learn more about HIV-prevention techniques, see Resources below.

Symptomatic HIV

• Symptomatic HIV is the third stage of HIV disease, occurring after asymptomatic HIV and before AIDS. At this point, the immune system has become severely damaged by the action of HIV and the body begins to be very susceptible to infection.

  According to HIV-Symptoms.info, symptoms of this stage of HIV disease include chronic flu-like illness along with night sweats, wasting (a condition of severe weight loss) along with fungal infections, and skin and respiratory problems.

Testing

• Testing is the only way to know one's HIV status. Most tests for HIV screen for antibodies to the virus and are accurate after seroconversion, which generally occurs within one month after infection. Tests done before this are unlikely to yield a true positive, as too few antibodies have developed.

  Knowing one's HIV status through testing allows one to take precautions to protect others, such as the use of barriers during sex and using clean needles. HIVTest.org (see Resources below) can help people learn more about the types of HIV tests and to locate local testing centers.

Treatment

• In addition to providing one with the knowledge of one's HIV status, being diagnosed with HIV can help individuals and their physicians decide on a course of treatment. Although it is not common to begin antiretroviral drug therapy early in the course of HIV disease, individuals can focus on maintaining their immune health by eating healthily, quitting smoking and getting exercise. A diagnosis also enables monitoring of the disease, such as getting viral load and CD4 cell count tests to see how the disease is progressing.