In 2006 there were an estimated 56,000 new cases of HIV infection reported in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the people who are newly infected were young gay and bisexual males, and African-American or Latino men and women. The first signs of HIV infection can be confusing.
Flu-Like Symptoms
According to the National Institutes of Health, the very first signs of an HIV infection may be a flu-like syndrome. These symptoms usually appear one to four weeks after exposure and transmission of the virus. Symptoms such as decreased appetite, fatigue, malaise, fever and muscle aches resemble a passing flu virus. Other symptoms such as sores of the oral mucosa and the esophagus as well as swollen lymph glands look like infectious mononucleosis. The symptoms may last for a short period or may last for four weeks. Most people treat these symptoms like any other viral illness and don't recognize that these symptoms herald the beginning of HIV. After symptoms subside, some patients don't have any further symptoms for another 10 years.
Blood Tests
The ELISA and Western Blot are two tests done to confirm HIV infection. The ELISA is always done first. If it is positive the Western Blot is done, as there are other diseases such as syphilis and Lyme disease that can make the ELISA positive. The Western Blot may be negative or indeterminate during the initial infections according to the National Institute of Health. It takes approximately three months for someone to seroconvert, but in some cases can take up to a year. Seroconversion is a term used to describe when a patient goes from a negative HIV test to a positive test. This means that there are enough anti-HIV antibodies built up in the body to be detected by the blood tests. CD4 blood tests count the number of CD4 or T-cells in the body. These cells are the fighters of infection and where HIV lives. HIV destroys these cells and in the early stages of HIV the CD4 count may be low.
Asymptomatic Infection
After the initial infection and the flu-like syndrome passes, some patients will experience a prolonged asymptomatic phase. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006 there were an estimated 1 million people living with HIV infection and 21 percent were undiagnosed because they do not recognize the signs of acute infection. Acute HIV infection will usually progress to advanced HIV disease, or AIDS, over a period of time.
