An Updated Review of Recent Advances in Neurosyphilis
What Does An HIV Rash Look Like And How Is It Treated?
An HIV rash is irritated skin that affects people who have HIV. It can be itchy, red or purple, or painful.
Most people who have HIV get a rash at some point. It's a common symptom that can happen in early (acute) or later stages of an HIV infection. Because your body's immune system is trying to fight off the first infection from HIV, the response can cause a rash.
If you already have HIV, you may have a weakened immune system, which makes you and your skin more vulnerable to infections from bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause an HIV rash.
If you take medications to treat HIV, some of those can also cause HIV rashes.
Most HIV rashes aren't serious and will typically clear up in a few days to a few weeks, even without treatment.
If the rash is caused by your HIV medicine, you may need to try a new one. Talk to your doctor if the rash doesn't go away by itself.
When your body tries to fight off HIV, it can cause an HIV rash, but it's not the only symptom.
Other symptoms of an early HIV infection include:
These typically last about two weeks.
When to see a doctor
Because these symptoms can look and feel like other common conditions (such as the flu or an allergic reaction) and go away quickly, many people don't realize that they can be signs of an HIV infection. Once these early symptoms go away, you may not notice any others until much later.
If you have a rash and think you may have been exposed to HIV, don't wait. A blood test can easily tell whether you have the virus. The sooner you're diagnosed, the sooner you can begin treatment. Medications will help control the virus, keep your infection from becoming AIDS, and help you stay healthy and live longer. They'll also lower your risk of spreading HIV to other people.
Common HIV rashes (from left): Molluscum contagiosum, herpes zoster (shingles), and urticaria (hives).
Many things can cause an HIV rash. Here are some of the most common causes:
Talk to your doctor about any HIV-related rashes, as some may be serious and need medical treatment.
Rash is one of the most common symptoms in the early stages of the HIV infection, especially for people with light skin.
What it looks like:
Places where it can show up on your body:
HIV weakens the cells that usually fight off infection. Over time, especially if you don't take your HIV medicines, your body may have a harder time fighting off infections that cause rashes.
These can include:
Syphilis. If this sexually transmitted infection isn't treated right away, you might get a rash, especially on the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands, two to eight weeks after infection.
Molluscum contagiosum. This viral skin infection causes small, flesh-colored bumps that can appear anywhere on your body, though usually not on your hands or the soles of your feet. You could have an outbreak of 100 bumps or more. It's contagious, meaning you can pass it to someone by touching their skin, sharing towels or linens, or touching the same objects. Typically, the bumps go away on their own, but they may be larger and harder to treat for people with HIV or AIDS. Treatments for the HIV infection can help by boosting your immune system.
Herpes viruses. These are common in people with HIV and AIDS, and it's harder for people who have weakened immune systems to stop flare-ups. Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) can cause a painful skin rash that looks like a stripe of water blisters. It can cover an entire side of your body, but your torso, arms, legs, and face are the most common areas. See your doctor quickly if you think you have shingles. The sooner you start the medications, the better they work. Pain relievers and antiviral medications can make you feel better and help clear it up faster. If you have shingles near your eyes and you don't get treatment, it can cause permanent damage. You can also get herpes simplex rashes around your mouth or genitals. Antiviral medications can help treat these.
Kaposi's sarcoma. This is a type of skin cancer. It looks like dark spots that may be brown, purple, or red. It usually happens when someone has AIDS.
Drugs that treat HIV and related infections can also trigger rashes. These often go away several days or weeks after you stop taking the drug. Talk with your doctor before stopping any medication.
If you have a rash along with fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pains, upset stomach, vomiting, and belly pain, you might have a "hypersensitivity reaction," which can happen with several HIV medications, including:
Get medical help right away if you have those symptoms or if you have:
These could be signs of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a severe form of hypersensitivity reaction. It's rare but can be life-threatening.
If you already know you have HIV and you develop a rash, call your doctor so they can find out whether your rash is caused by your HIV or something else.
If you have symptoms of a rash and you've never been diagnosed with HIV but think you might have been exposed, contact a health care provider right away. They can offer an HIV test and possibly HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment that may help prevent HIV.
Treating an HIV-related skin rash depends on the cause. If your rash appears when you're first diagnosed with HIV, you can try applying something like a hydrocortisone cream for itch relief. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) may also help you feel better and prevent new rashes by strengthening your immune system.
If your rash is caused by your HIV medication, including ART, talk to your doctor to see if stopping or switching medications could help clear it up.
Talk to your doctor about rashes caused by other infections or if you're not sure of the cause, as you may need steroids or other types of topical ointments to treat them.
Other things you can do to relieve symptoms of an HIV rash:
An HIV rash can show up as itchy, red bumps on your chest, back, face, or legs. The rash can be one of the first symptoms when you're infected with HIV. HIV rashes can also appear when you already have HIV, caused either by another infection or by some HIV medicines. Most HIV rashes aren't serious and may clear up on their own, but you should still tell your doctor if you have a rash because some do require medical treatment.
Can an HIV rash last for months?
The symptoms of an acute HIV rash can last for a few days to a few weeks, but it's unlikely to last for months.
At what stage does HIV cause skin problems?
HIV can cause skin problems as soon as you're infected with the virus. Rashes are one of the earliest symptoms of an HIV infection.
"Kick And Kill": HIV Cure Could Be Hiding In FDA-approved Drug
HIV has become a more manageable condition in recent years, but a full cure remains elusive. Now, scientists have found promise in permanently eliminating the virus, thanks to a drug already approved by the FDA to fight cancer.
Once a death sentence, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can now be managed with antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs. This treatment suppresses the virus to undetectable levels, which in turn means it's untransmittible, allowing patients to live fairly normal lives. However, the virus still lays dormant inside infected cells, and will re-emerge if the therapy is stopped.
A new study, led by researchers at Stanford, has now shown that a compound called EBC-46 can reactivate these dormant cells, allowing them to then be targeted by immunotherapy. This is called a "kick and kill" strategy, and in theory at least, it could completely clear the virus from a patient.
The team tested 15 variations of EBC-46 on latent HIV-infected cells in lab dishes. Incredibly, some versions of the compound reactivated up to 90% of the cells, which is far higher than the 20% achieved by other drugs. Another reportedly managed a 40% clearance rate in mice.
"Our studies show that EBC-46 analogs are exceptional latency reversing agents, representing a potentially significant step toward HIV eradication," said Paul Wender, senior author of the study.
Of course, there's a long road between tests in cells and human trials, with animal trials underway first. But in this case at least, that road looks somewhat smooth. EBC-46 has previously been approved for use in dogs and humans as a cancer treatment, so safety data is already being gathered.
Being able to effectively cure HIV would be a major boon to patients on ART. The treatment can be costly and requires a lifetime of adherence, so it remains unfeasible in some regions.
The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
Source: Stanford University
Trump Administration Suspension Of Global HIV Treatment Program Sparks Chaos And Fear Of Lost Lives
A move by the Trump administration to freeze funding for the U.S.'s widely heralded international HIV/AIDS program is sowing uncertainty globally and putting countless lives at immediate risk, according to health care providers and global health researchers.
As a result of President Trump's pause on foreign aid announced late last week, the program, known as PEPFAR, has been thrown into disarray. Some groups that receive funding as part of the program — which helps extend HIV treatment to some 20 million people globally, including more than 550,000 children — are halting the provision of medications even if they're already on clinics' shelves, according to experts.
Without access to their drugs, some patients whose infections are currently suppressed could see them flare in a matter of days to weeks, doctors said. They could also be left vulnerable to other illnesses like tuberculosis and be more likely to spread the virus to others. Pregnant mothers with uncontrolled infections could pass HIV to their babies. PEPFAR also pays for medicines that minimize the risk of contracting HIV.
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