Overview
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that is spread through contact with contaminated blood or sexual fluids. This viral illness attacks the immune system, gradually reducing the body’s ability to fight infections. As the illness progresses it can lead to AIDS, also known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
Initial Symptoms
Patients who are infected with HIV sometimes experience some early symptoms after infection, HIV InSite explains. These symptoms are often fairly mild and are similar to those of a cold or flu. Signs of an HIV infection include fatigue, a rash, and a mild fever. Some patients also experience swollen lymph nodes, a headache and a sore throat. Because these symptoms are common to many illnesses, they often go unnoticed.
Disease Progression
The initial symptoms of an HIV infection typically occur anytime from a few days to a few weeks after infection. HIV InSite also notes that there is a period of time after infection when the body is not producing antibodies to HIV, which will cause most HIV tests to be negative. This time period is called the window phase and can can occur between six weeks and six months after the time of infection. Once the symptoms of the initial infection have passed, many patients exhibit no symptoms of HIV infection for several years until developing symptoms of AIDS.
Immune Effects
In between the initial infection and the development of AIDS, patients who are HIV positive will experience a gradual weakening of their immune system. This is a result of the virus killing off a specific subset of white blood cells called CD4 positive T cells. During this time patients are susceptible to common illnesses. These mild infections, the Mayo Clinic explains, can cause patients to have swollen lymph nodes, chronic diarrhea, fever and unintended weight loss.
Opportunistic Infections
AIDS is the final stage of an HIV infection. Patients with AIDS are susceptible to certain illnesses that normally do not affect patients with healthy immune systems, Avert.org explains. Examples of organisms that can cause these types of infections include candida (a common fungal infection of the mouth or vagina that can spread throughout the body), pneumocystis jirovecii (a rare type of pneumonia) and cryptococcosis (a fungus that can cause a life-threatening brain infection).
AIDS Symptoms
Late-stage AIDS also can cause certain systems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients can feel persistently fatigued and have extreme night sweats. Some patients have a chronic headache and diarrhea. Other symptoms of late-stage AIDS include chills and a long-lasting fever of above 100 degrees Fahrenheit as well as lymph nodes that remain swollen for three or more months.
About this Author
Adam Cloe is an MD/PhD student at the University of Chicago. He has a Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry from Boston University, where he won an award for excellence in undergraduate science writing. He has been published in various scientific journals.
