According to a July 2010 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 21 percent of the 1 million Americans living with HIV do not know they are ill. Aside from flu-like symptoms shortly after exposure, untreated patients feel relatively healthy for up to 10 years before more serious signs appear, according to the Merck Manual. Anyone concerned about HIV should request a blood or saliva test for an accurate diagnosis.
Flu-Like Illness
When HIV enters the body, it begins to attack the immune system. Within a week to a month after contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions or breast milk, the patient may experience flu-like symptoms--fever, rash, fatigue and enlarged lymph nodes--that may be mistaken for another illness, says the National Association of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. After a short period, usually one or two weeks, the symptoms disappear and the patient feels relatively well for as long as 10 years. During this period of time, the patient is usually unaware of the illness but is highly contagious because the virus is present in his body fluids.
Changes in Appearance
Late-stage HIV causes rapid and substantial weight loss in many patients, a condition known as AIDS wasting, according to the Merck Manual. Kaposi's sarcoma, a form of cancer, appears late in the disease process as red, pink, purplish or brown blotches on the skin or inside the mouth.
Infections
HIV attacks the immune system by destroying the white blood cells that normally fight off infections, according to the Merck Manual. During the late stages of HIV infection, as many as 10 years after exposure, patients may have persistent diarrhea; sores of the mouth, anus or genitals; recurring fever; fatigue; and profuse night sweats. A person infected with HIV is diagnosed with AIDS when he or she has one or more opportunistic infections, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, and has a dangerously low number of CD4+ T cells, according to the Merck Manual.
Organ Damage
HIV can directly attack organs, including the brain, kidneys, heart and genitals. Symptoms related to the brain include memory loss, difficulties with concentration and thinking, weakness, tremor, difficulty walking and dementia, according to the Merck Manual. Kidney involvement causes fatigue, changes in urination and swelling of the face and legs. Cardiac symptoms include cough, fatigue, shortness of breath and wheezing. Men often exhibit a decline in interest in sex due to reduced levels of hormones.
