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Late Stage HIV Symptoms

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, and it is a condition that slowly disables your immune system until it develops into a case of AIDS. It can take years for HIV to develop into AIDS, but the symptoms of the later stages of HIV are very discernible from the earlier stages. Doctors are able to diagnose the condition with a blood test, and there are treatments that can slow the development of HIV into AIDS. However, there is no cure for HIV.

  1. Advancing Symptoms

    • Someone in the initial stages of HIV might not display any symptoms. But as the condition advances, you will begin to show flu-like symptoms such as diarrhea, a high fever, unexplained weight loss and swollen lymph nodes. You also might begin to develop a cough that could become chronic as the condition develops, and you might notice that you are continually short of breath.

    Flu-Like Symptoms

    • As HIV gets closer to becoming AIDS, it will start to display more prominent symptoms. You might begin to suffer from night sweats and experience frequent chills. Your diarrhea could advance to become chronic diarrhea, and your weight loss will become very noticeable. You might begin to suffer from chronic and severe headaches that could cause you to begin to have blurry vision and double vision.

    Skin Symptoms

    • When HIV first appears, there likely will be no skin symptoms. But as the condition advances, you might start to notice lesions inside and outside the mouth. As the condition progresses, sores and lesions will start to show up on other parts of the body, and they will become more prominent in and around the mouth. Your skin might turn pale, and you might begin to suffer from scaly or dry skin.

    Tuberculosis

    • If you previously battled tuberculosis and were able to put it into remission, the onset of the later stages of HIV can re-activate tuberculosis and bring it back at a more serious level. According to information confirmed by the Harvard Medical School, tuberculosis is one of the most common worldwide infections experienced by people suffering from HIV.

    Symptoms in Children

    • Children experiencing the onset of HIV might show symptoms of weight gain problems, an inability to learn to walk, and they might also show slowed mental development. Some of the more common childhood ailments such as ear infections can become dangerous conditions to a child suffering from the later stages of HIV.

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