Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. You can be infected through sexual contact with an infected person, sharing needles with an infected person or getting blood from someone with HIV. There is no cure, but there are treatments available. In various stages of the disease, there are a variety of symptoms.
Diarrhea
While many people infected with HIV feel no symptoms at all for eight years or more, the gradual destruction of the immune system eventually will begin to present symptoms. Chronic diarrhea is a symptom that may appear in the middle stages of the viral attack. While acute diarrhea may last a few days, chronic diarrhea will continue. If you have diarrhea for more than a few days, contact your doctor. Diarrhea can cause abdominal and rectal pain. It also can cause dehydration, which has such symptoms as dry mouth, excessive thirst, difficulty urinating, dizziness or weakness.
Weight Loss
Also in the later stages of HIV infection, you might lose weight. According to the Nutrition/Infection Unit of Tufts University, weight loss or wasting can mean the disease is getting worse. Because HIV at this stage may make you nauseous, it may be difficult to eat. Nausea also can occur as a side effect from anti-HIV medications. Weight loss also may occur because of diarrhea or because problems in the intestines may not allow your body to absorb nutrients properly. According to Tufts, HIV-positive patients use more calories at rest and during activities. Wasting may be treated with diet and dietary supplements, exercise, stimulants to increase appetite, testosterone replacement in men, anabolic steroids or growth hormones.
Oral Lesions
A variety of oral lesions may occur in HIV-infected patients. Candidiasis, for example, is a fungal lesion that may appear as a white substance in the mouth. It may produce such symptoms as changes in taste and a burning sensation in the mouth. Herpes simplex, also known as recurrent intraoral herpes, is another form of lesion that may be present in HIV-positive patients, and they may recur more often. According to the University of California, San Francisco's HIV InSite, ulcers in the mouth are being reported more often in HIV patients, but the reason is unknown.
Kaposi's Sarcoma
This condition generally occurs later in HIV infection, when the disease has become AIDS. It is a purple-colored tumor that may start with the skin, but eventually can spread to the lymph nodes, then to human organs. According to HIV InSite, Kaposi's sarcoma may not start in skin yet still appear in the gastrointestinal system.
