HIV and AIDS Symptoms

Most people have no symptoms when they are first infected with HIV. Some infected people may experience the following symptoms a month or two later:

• Enlarged lymph nodes (in the neck and groin)
• Fever
• Headache
• Fatigue

These early HIV symptoms usually disappear within a few weeks and are often mistaken for the flu. Although some people might start developing more serious symptoms a few months later, many remain symptom-free for up to 10 years or longer. Whether people have symptoms or not, as soon as they become infected with HIV, the virus continues to multiply and weaken their immune system. Moreover, once infected with HIV, people can spread their infection to others. People who feel they might have been exposed to the virus should get tested for HIV, both for their own health and for the safety of others.

Common Symptoms

As a person's immune system continues to weaken, the earlier symptoms eventually reappear and new symptoms develop. A person's symptoms may include:

• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Mouth sores, including oral yeast infection
• Muscular stiffness or aching
• Rashes
• Sore throat
• Swollen lymph glands
• Vaginal yeast infections
• Weight loss

If left untreated, these symptoms often persist and worsen, and most untreated people with HIV eventually develop AIDS.

AIDS-Defining Conditions

A weakened immune system makes people susceptible to opportunistic infections, which are caused by microorganisms that typically don't cause disease in healthy people. These conditions are far more serious and may become fatal in people infected with HIV, who have weakened immune systems.

In 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its classification system for HIV infection for adolescents and adults. The following are the CDC's AIDS-defining conditions:

• Bacillary angiomatosis
  Bacillary angiomatosis is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted through a cat scratch or bite and occasionally tick, flea, or lice bites. People develop purple-red growths on their skin (resembling Kaposi's sarcoma) and internal organs. The infection is most commonly found in people with AIDS.
• Candidiasis
  Candidiasis is an infection caused by the yeast Candida, usually Candida albicans. The infection causes inflammation and a thick white coating on the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, or vagina, and may spread throughout the body in people with AIDS.
• Cervical cancer
  Cervical cancer appears to occur more often and more aggressively in women with HIV infection. Human papillomavirus (HPV) significantly increases a woman's risk of cervical cancer. It is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted disease (STD). HPV also increases the risk of anal cancer in both men and women. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine for the most dangerous types of HPV.
• Coccidioidomycosis
  Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious respiratory disease caused by inhaling the fungus Coccidioides immitis, which is found in the dry desert soil of the southwestern United States. It can spread throughout the body and is often fatal in people with AIDS.
• Cryptococcosis
  Cryptococcosis is an infection caused by inhaling the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, which is found in soil contaminated with pigeon or other bird droppings. It can spread throughout the body and is often fatal in people with AIDS.
• Cryptosporidiosis
  Cryptosporidiosis is an infection caused by an intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium (such as Giardia), which is found in contaminated soil or water. It is a chronic intestinal infection that can be fatal to people with AIDS.
• Cytomegalovirus infection (CMV)
  CMV is a viral infection of the digestive tract, lungs, or other organs. If left untreated, CMV retinitis (eye inflammation) can lead to blindness.
• Encephalopathy (HIV-related)
  HIV-related encephalopathy (AIDS dementia) is a neurological condition caused by nerve cell injury and death. The symptoms include memory and reasoning problems accompanied by motor and speech problems, as well as behavioral changes.
• Herpes simplex viruses (HSV)
  Herpes simplex viruses can cause oral herpes (cold sores) or genital herpes. Herpes outbreaks can be much more frequent and more severe in people with AIDS.
• Histoplasmosis
  Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by inhaling the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, which is found in soil that has been contaminated with bird or bat droppings. It can spread throughout the body and is often fatal in people with AIDS.
• Isosporiasis
  Isosporiasis is a human intestinal disease caused by the parasite Isospora belli, which is found in tropical and subtropical areas.
• Kaposi's sarcoma
  Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancer characterized by numerous blue-red nodules on the skin and internal organs. The cancer primarily occurs in people with AIDS.
• Lymphoma (certain types)
  Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma develops in lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system. The most common symptom is a painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin.
• Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)
  MAC is a bacterial infection that can cause abdominal pain, anemia, diarrhea, fatigue, night sweats, and weight loss.
• Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
  PCP is a fungal infection that can cause a fatal pneumonia. It is one of the most common AIDS opportunistic infections in the United States.
• Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
  PML is a rare, sometimes fatal, viral infection of the brain that mainly occurs in people with weakened immune systems.
• Salmonellosis
  Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection caused by contaminated food or water. Symptoms include severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, chills, and vomiting. The infection is more common and serious in people with AIDS.
• Toxoplasmosis (toxo)
  Toxo is a protozoal infection of the brain. It can be spread from cat litter or raw meat. If pregnant women get infected, they may pass the infection to their children. People with AIDS who develop toxo may develop encephalitis (brain inflammation).
• Tuberculosis (TB)
  TB is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can affect almost any part of the body but is mainly an infection of the lungs. TB treatment has been complicated by the emergence of multiple-drug-resistant TB in people with AIDS.
• Viral hepatitis
  Viral hepatitis is liver inflammation caused by a virus. The symptoms include fatigue, jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), nausea, and abdominal pain. The most common forms are hepatitis A, B and C. Chronic infections can lead to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver failure, or liver cancer.
  According to the CDC, about 25% of HIV-infected people in the United States are also infected with the hepatitis C virus. The latest U.S. Public Health Service/Infectious Diseases Society of America (USPHS/IDSA) guidelines recommend that all people infected with HIV should be tested for hepatitis C.
• Wasting syndrome
  Wasting syndrome (AIDS wasting) is the involuntary loss of more than 10% of a person's body weight, plus more than 30 days of either diarrhea, or weakness and fever. The weight loss is due to a decrease in fat and muscle mass. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved recombinant human growth hormone to treat people with wasting syndrome.

Common symptoms associated with these AIDS-defining conditions may include:

• Coma
• Coughing and shortness of breath
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Mental confusion and forgetfulness
• Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps
• Seizures and lack of coordination
• Vision loss