What You Need to Know: Taking Doxycycline for Safer Sex - Cedar

Does HIV Cause Urinary Symptoms?

HIV doesn't cause urinary symptoms on its own but may increase your risk of a health condition, such as a urinary tract infection or kidney damage, that can lead to symptoms.

Living with HIV can potentially raise your risk of certain health conditions that can affect your urinary tract. These complications may result from its effects on the immune system or from certain medications used to treat HIV.

These conditions can include:

infections

kidney damage

prostate inflammation, if you have a prostate

People who are on stable antiretroviral therapy regimens will have less compromised immune systems. However, they may still have a risk of certain urinary tract complications.

Keep reading to learn more about possible urinary symptoms associated with HIV, how to manage them, and when to get medical attention.

Some people with HIV may have an increased risk of certain infections, including UTIs. This can include people following their ART regimen. Research suggests UTIs are more likely in people with a lower CD4 count and a higher viral load.

UTIs develop when there's too many bacteria or the wrong bacteria in the urinary tract. They typically cause symptoms that can include:

In people with HIV with compromised immune systems, UTIs are typically considered complicated. Complicated UTIs are more serious and may require longer antibiotic treatment. They are more likely to cause additional symptoms, such as:

fever

chills

lower back or side pain

feeling sick (malaise)

nausea or vomiting

UTIs are more likely to develop in females, including among people with HIV. This is because females have a shorter urethra. However, when they develop in males, UTIs are more likely to be considered complicated and more serious.

Doctors often treat complicated UTIs with oral antibiotics. However, if a UTI progresses and a person develops symptoms that affect their body systems, they may need intravenous (IV) antibiotics and necessary fluids.

People with HIV may have an increased risk of damage to the kidneys. This may be due to:

the HIV itself

other medical conditions

effects of HIV medications

Having certain other health conditions in addition to HIV can increase the risk. These can include:

hepatitis C

diabetes

high blood pressure

Kidney damage can result in symptoms that can affect urination, including:

frequent urination, especially at night (nocturia)

urine that's frothy or foamy

Kidney damage can also cause other symptoms that may affect other areas of the body as it gets worse. These can include:

If you have HIV, your regular monitoring appointments likely include tests to monitor your kidney function. If doctors notice signs of kidney damage, they may adjust your medications. It's best to talk with a doctor if you notice changes in your urination or other concerning symptoms, especially if you have HIV.

HIV may increase the risk of certain types of prostatitis, or prostate inflammation, in people with prostates who have HIV. This is likely due to HIV's effects on the immune system.

Prostatitis can result from a bacterial or viral infection and can become chronic, or long lasting.

Prostatitis causes urinary symptoms that can include:

a burning or stinging feeling while peeing

difficulty peeing

a weak urine stream

urinary frequency

It may also cause additional symptoms, such as:

pain when ejaculating

pain in the penis, scrotum, testicles, or between the scrotum and anus

pain in the lower back or pelvic area

Treatment for prostatitis can depend on the type of prostatitis you have. It can involve medication, physical therapy, and at-home care.

What Are The Symptoms Of Seroconversion?

Key points

The symptoms of recent HIV infection are the same in men and women.

A flu-like illness may appear within a month of infection.

The most common symptoms are fever, swollen glands, muscle aches and tiredness.

Once infected with HIV, the virus takes hold in your body by multiplying rapidly. Your immune system responds by producing antibodies in response to the virus. This period is known as seroconversion. Antibodies appear within one to two weeks and will continue to increase in the months after infection. Seroconversion takes place within three weeks in the majority of infected individuals.

Seroconversion is often, but not always, accompanied by a flu-like illness. This happens in at least half of the people infected with HIV, but may happen in as many as 80-90% of all infections. Symptoms typically appear within a month of infection and tend to go away within two to three weeks.

Symptoms may include:

Fever

Swollen glands

Muscle aches

Tiredness

Body rash (usually reddish, small flat blemishes that are not itchy)

Oral thrush

Weight loss

Joint pains

Sore throat

Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhoea

Headache

Genital sores or thrush

Night sweats

Nervous system involvement (meningitis or encephalitis).

The most commonly experienced symptoms are fever, swollen glands, muscle aches and tiredness.

These symptoms are not a reliable way to identify seroconversion, to diagnose HIV infection or to rule it out. There are many other illnesses that can cause symptoms such as these. Some people do not notice any symptoms after infection.

An HIV test needs to be done in order to confirm HIV infection. This is the only reliable way of knowing whether you have HIV or not.

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