HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is passed through bodily fluids and can lead to the development of AIDS. Symptoms of an initial HIV infection are separate from AIDS symptoms, which sometime develop years after being infected with HIV, when the immune cell CD4 count drops below 200 cells per cubic milliliter and opportunistic infections begin to take hold.
Time Frame
While some people are asymptomatic until AIDS develops years after an initial HIV infection, others do exhibit early symptoms. Those who do show signs of this early infection typically start to exhibit symptoms within two to four weeks after becoming infected. These symptoms usually last from one week to one month--sometimes longer--and then disappear. Babies born with HIV generally do not exhibit symptoms until two to three months after birth.
Clinical Symptoms
The initial symptoms of HIV are often mistaken for flu. The disease typically presents as any combination of fever, fatigue, sore throat, rash, headache or enlarged lymph nodes in the groin, armpits and neck. In infants with HIV, the disease initially presents as poor weight gain, frequent illnesses, delayed development, neurological problems, enlarged organs and swollen lymph nodes.
Biology
When the virus first enters the body, it replicates and produces a large amount of viral particles that overwhelm the immune system temporarily. These particles travel to many areas of the body to enter cells and hide from future detection. Some of the initial symptoms are due to the virus itself affecting the body, while other symptoms come about from the immune system attempting to fight off the virus. In most cases, the immune system temporarily succeeds, forcing HIV into hiding and making the afflicted individual symptom-free for many years.
Transmission
The symptoms of HIV appear shortly after initial infection, which can come via a few different modes of transmission. Unprotected sexual contact is the most common mode of transmission. Other ways to catch HIV include through shared needles from intravenous drug use, receiving a blood transfusion with infected blood or becoming infected as an infant by a mother with HIV--either in utero or through breastfeeding. Experiencing HIV symptoms shortly after any of these events may indicate an initial infection with the virus.
Testing
Individuals who suspect that they have contracted HIV should have an HIV test whether or not they are experiencing any symptoms. Because symptoms may appear to be something else or may not exist at all, no one can definitively diagnose themselves with HIV without taking a test. Testing is available at hospitals, doctors' offices, STD testing centers and through a mail-in kit that individuals can use to send in a sample taken at home.
Significance
The symptoms of early HIV may appear mild, but if left untreated, HIV almost always progresses into AIDS years down the road. Individuals who suspect that they may be infected with HIV should not wait until developing the more severe symptoms of AIDS to seek medical care, since early intervention may delay the development of those symptoms or slow the progression of the disease.
