HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the immune system, making it impossible for the body to fight off common infections. HIV is contracted through sexual contact, exposure to infected blood or transmission from mother to child during pregnancy. HIV eventually causes AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. There is no cure for AIDS, and symptoms can be difficult to discern.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that HIV symptoms are also seen in many other conditions, so it is not possible to make a diagnosis based on symptoms alone. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by being tested for the virus.
Early Symptoms
The Mayo Clinic indicates symptoms may not appear at all when someone is first infected with HIV. If symptoms do manifest, it is often an illness resembling the flu. According to AIDS.gov, this condition is called acute retroviral syndrome, or ARS. Due to high levels of virus, infected individuals are especially contagious while ARS is present. Fever, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and rash may be present two to four weeks after infection occurs. HIV patients may experience varying periods of wellness and illness for several years before knowing they have been infected.
Years Later
HIV symptoms may not show up for many years. After the initial infection, the virus may become less active as patients enter a latent period. This period may last 10 years, and individuals will usually experience few or no symptoms. Symptoms will become more apparent as the virus destroys the protective cells of the immune system. According to AIDS.gov, the virus may cause some sickness, but most illness comes from infections the immune system is less able to fight. Diarrhea, weight loss, fever and swollen lymph nodes are common symptoms as infection with HIV progresses.
Progression to AIDS
Treatment for HIV can delay progression to AIDS for many years. The Mayo Clinic indicates that, if left untreated, HIV will progress to AIDS after 10 years for most patients. Opportunistic infections will occur frequently as the immune system is destroyed. Extreme weakness and weight loss are common, and patients may experience wasting syndrome. AIDS.gov defines wasting syndrome as occurring when patients lose 10 percent of their body weight and experience one month or more of diarrhea and fever. Night sweats occur along with lesions of the skin and mouth. Nausea, vision problems and vomiting also plague individuals with AIDS.
