Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the pathogen responsible for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. It can be transmitted through the exchange of body fluids during unprotected sex, the sharing of drug needles and transfusion with contaminated blood products. Because HIV falls into a group of pathogens called retroviruses, it takes many years for the virus to become fully active in the body. Early symptoms, in fact, are often followed by a lengthy period—as long as 10 years—during which an infected patient is completely asymptomatic. During this time, the virus is multiplying; after the latency period passes, further symptoms develop. The early symptoms of HIV are generalized, and tend to resemble those of a nonspecific viral infection.
Fever
Like many viruses, HIV causes the immune system to become active. The immune system is the body’s defense against pathogens and is responsible for both identifying and eliminating invading organisms. While individual invaders may be targeted for destruction, a systemic infection requires a more generalized response by the immune system.
One such mechanism is the development of a fever, in which the immune cells cause the temperature of the entire body to elevate by up to several degrees Fahrenheit. Pathogenic organisms survive best at human body temperature—98.6 degrees—and elevating temperature by even just a few degrees makes it very difficult for bacteria and viruses to survive. For this reason, an early response to HIV is often a fever—the body’s way of trying to rid itself of the virus. MayoClinic.com notes that fever may be accompanied by headache as well; fever and headache of early HIV are indistinguishable from that of any other viral infection.
Muscle Aches
InteliHealth, a website maintained by Aetna and reviewed by the Harvard Medical School, notes that aching muscles and joints may also accompany early HIV infection. This, too, is a result of generalized immune system responses to invading organisms, and isn’t specific to the HIV infection. In fact, notes InteliHealth, there are virtually no symptoms of early HIV that are in any way distinguishable from those of any other viral infection, meaning that the only way to determine whether infection is due to the HIV virus is to test. They recommend that anyone who has engaged in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex with a new partner or shared drug needle use, be tested for HIV if they develop immune system symptoms such as muscle aches and pains.
Rash
MayoClinic.com notes that there is one symptom of early HIV that differs slightly from those of a garden-variety virus—early infection that can cause a rash on the body. Fevers can cause individuals with sensitive skin to break out, however, so a rash is not necessarily a sign of HIV. Furthermore, not all early HIV infections will cause a rash. MayoClinic.com emphasizes that the only way to be certain of a diagnosis is to test for the virus.
