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Understanding The First Signs Of HIV And Why Getting Tested Regularly Is Important
With the advancement of treatment and medicine, people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can live long, healthy lives without the risk of transmitting the disease to others.
But to ensure early detection, it's important to understand the first signs of the HIV. Initial symptoms of HIV are similar to those caused by the flu, including fever, fatigue, and a sore throat. These symptoms typically occur two to four weeks after being infected.
However, it can take months or years for symptoms to appear, says Hana Akselrod, MD, MPH, infectious disease physician at the George Washington University.
Important: The first signs of HIV generally get mistaken for the flu, so it's important to get tested regularly, especially if you're sexually active with multiple partners or with someone who is HIV-positive.
Here's what you need to know about the initial and long-term symptoms, testing, and treatment for HIV.
The first signs of HIVThe initial stage of HIV is called an acute HIV infection. Within the first month of being infected with HIV, you may experience flu-like symptoms such as:
It may be hard to differentiate the initial symptoms of HIV from the flu or mono. If symptoms are accompanied by rashes and mouth sores, that's usually an indication that the cause is more likely an early stage of HIV than the common flu.
Important: You can only contract HIV by coming in contact with the bodily fluids — such as blood, vaginal fluids, semen and pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, and breast milk — of an HIV-positive person. The transmission happens via contact through open wounds, direct injection, or a mucous membrane (mouth, vagina, tip of the penis, or rectum).
It's important to note that HIV symptoms aren't consistent and vary from one person to another, both in type and severity.
"Some people may have varying degrees of symptoms but no significant differences based on gender or race," says Aadia I. Rana, MD, associate professor of medicine under the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
It's also possible to have HIV and be asymptomatic. In fact, approximately 15% of people living with HIV aren't aware of their status and can unknowingly transmit the virus to others. Some people don't get tested at all due to the misinformation and stigma surrounding HIV.
"This makes it crucial to make testing for HIV a part of normal care — to make it affordable, accessible, and free of stigma — so that everyone who is infected can know their status and be able to take the right steps for their own health and that of their loved ones," says Akselrod.
What are the long-term symptoms of HIV?"A person who is infected with HIV will often not develop symptomatic disease for several years after their infection," says Rana. If left untreated, HIV can destroy your immune system and progress to its most severe stage, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Long-term symptoms of HIV that can indicate the progression to AIDS usually arise about five to 10 years after infection, which include:
"Getting other sexually transmitted infections, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia, is a warning sign that someone is also at risk for HIV," says Akselrod. STIs cause the skin to break down, which increases the risk of contracting and transmitting HIV.
Getting tested and treated for HIV"All adolescents and adults who are sexually active should get screened for HIV as part of their routine primary care," says Akselrod. "Blood tests for HIV are now extremely accurate — both sensitive and specific — and can detect HIV, even within the first two to four weeks after becoming infected."
Here are some tools to help you find HIV testing sites and care services near you:
You can also get tested at sexual health or family planning clinics, your health care provider's office, or other local health centers.
If you test positive for HIV, you'll need to take antiretroviral therapy (ART) to manage your condition. This medicine can lower the amount of HIV in your blood to the point that a test can no longer detect it, which is known as being "undetectable" or having an "undetectable viral load."
Important: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) both help you avoid contracting HIV, but PrEP is taken by people who may be exposed to HIV in the future whereas PEP is taken by those who were already exposed to HIV within the past 72 hours.
"As long as they take it regularly, the virus is completely controlled and the person can have a normally functioning immune system," says Rana. Being undetectable also means that there is no risk of transmitting HIV to other people.
Insider's takeawayThe first signs of HIV are similar to that of flu, however, some people may not experience any symptoms at all. If left untreated, HIV may progress to AIDS and manifest symptoms such as rapid weight loss, chronic diarrhea, and yeast infections.
It's important to get tested regularly, especially if you are sexually active, to know your status and prevent HIV transmission. If you test positive for HIV, you can control the virus and protect your immune system by taking ART.
"When HIV was first discovered in the 1980s, there was no treatment to stop its progression to AIDS and eventual death," says Akselrod. "Nowadays, ART medication is extremely effective and safe, and people diagnosed with HIV today can expect to live a normal lifespan so long as they are treated continuously."
Carla Delgado
Freelance Reporter, Insider Reviews
Don't Wait For HIV Symptoms
You can have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and not know it. You also can have been exposed to HIV but not necessarily be infected. About 1 in 7 people who are HIV-positive are unaware of it. The only way to know if you are infected is to get an HIV test.
HIV doesn't affect everyone the same way. Some people notice signs soon after they get the virus. Others don't. If the virus is in your body, here's a timeline of what to expect:
Immediately. If you have just become infected with HIV, you will probably not notice anything different. You'll feel like you usually do. If there's any chance that you might have just become infected, see your doctor or go to a health clinic right away. They can give you an emergency antiretroviral medication called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent a possible infection. Ideally, you should start the drug within a day or two after exposure. PEP greatly lessens your chances of infection if you take it correctly, but it's not 100% effective.
One to 8 weeks later. If you become infected, the first symptoms won't appear until a few weeks later. This phase is called acute HIV infection. You might have flu-like symptoms, including:
Many other things can also cause these symptoms.
During this time, the HIV is multiplying and spreading inside your body. It attacks and starts to destroy your CD4 cells, which help your body fight infection. You might think that you have a bad cold or the flu. But some people don't have any symptoms.
One month or more later. This stage is called chronic HIV infection. After your body's initial response to the HIV virus, you may not have any symptoms for many years. But if left untreated, the HIV virus will continue to destroy CD4 cells and attack your immune system.
Years and decades later. Without treatment, HIV will progress to the third and most severe stage: AIDS. It can take about 10 years for your disease to turn into AIDS. That's when your immune system is so weak that you can't fight infections. Swollen lymph nodes and glands may be the first sign of AIDS. Other symptoms include:
The most important thing is to diagnose HIV infection as early as possible and start treatment with antiretroviral therapy. Treatment will stop the destruction of the immune system, keep you healthy, and prevent the progression to AIDS. If taken correctly, treatment can also keep you from passing HIV to others. If you have HIV but start antiretroviral therapy quickly and stay on it, you'll likely live almost as long as someone without the virus.
The 3 Stages Of HIV And How It Can Develop Into AIDS — And What To Know About Testing And Treatment
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) presents in three stages. It starts with flu-like symptoms and can progress to severely damage your immune system if left untreated.
Here's what you should know about the stages and symptoms of HIV and how to navigate testing and treatment.
Important: HIV is a rare yet serious infection. You may be at an increased risk if you frequently have unprotected sex with multiple partners or share needles.
Stage 1: Acute HIVThe first stage of HIV is the acute infection stage. It is mostly characterized by flu-like symptoms. However, not everyone will experience these symptoms and some HIV tests may even come up negative.
Most people experience these flu-like symptoms about two to six weeks after they have been infected. These symptoms are a sign that your immune system is fighting the virus and usually last about one to two weeks.
Some of the symptoms you may experience are:
"Some of the most common early signs of HIV are a high fever, a rash on your upper body, fatigue, sore throat, severe headache, and muscle weakness," says Peter Gulick, MD, a professor of medicine at Michigan State University (MSU), College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Director of the MSU HIV and Hepatitis Clinic.
Important: Many people in this stage of HIV won't have any symptoms at all. That's why if you suspect you've been exposed to the virus, it's advisable to get tested whether or not you are presenting symptoms.
It's especially important to get tested at this stage of HIV because your viral load is very high, meaning that you are highly infectious and could easily infect someone else with the disease unknowingly.
Stage 2: Asymptomatic infectionThis stage comes after the acute infection stage and is commonly called the clinical latency, chronic, or asymptomatic infection stage. At this stage of HIV, most of the earlier symptoms of the condition fade, and a person might start to feel better.
This stage can last for up to 10 years or even longer. But even though a person might not be showing symptoms at this stage, the virus is still active and spreading.
At this stage of the virus, a blood test will be able to indicate how active the virus is and how much of an effect it's having on your immune system. A person at this stage is also infectious. If the condition goes untreated, it will continue to progress, damaging the immune system.
Stage 3: AIDSAt this stage, the virus develops into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). When a person has AIDS, their immune system is critically damaged. This is the most severe stage of HIV.
A person with HIV at this stage is also very susceptible to infections and diseases. The body will be unable to defend itself against opportunistic infections, including viral infections like shingles and bacterial infections like tuberculosis and pneumonia.
Medical term: Opportunistic infections are more likely to happen to people who are immunocompromised than people who have healthy immune systems.
People who have AIDS have a very high viral load of the virus and are very infectious. At this stage without treatment, the condition can be fatal and could cause death. Most people with AIDS are likely to only survive for 1 to 3 years if they have no access to proper treatment.
Some common symptoms of AIDS include:
If you are experiencing early signs of HIV or suspect you've been exposed to someone with the condition, getting tested is the next step.
"If you notice any early signs of HIV or have been exposed to a person who has it, get tested immediately. If you test negative but continue to engage in high-risk activities like unprotected sex, then you should get tested every three to six months," says Gulick.
General advice: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it's advisable for everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 to get tested for HIV at least once. If you are sexually active, they advise that you test at least once a year.
You can get an HIV test at any of the following places:
If you test positive for HIV, you should know that with proper management and treatment, the virus can be kept well under control and you can live a long and healthy life. If you are unsure of what test you should be taking, speak to your doctor first for a recommendation.
3 types of HIV testsHIV medication helps to reduce the viral load in your body, or the amount of HIV in your blood. HIV medicines work by blocking or changing the enzymes the virus uses to replicate itself.
Some of the treatment options approved by the FDA for HIV include:
There's currently no cure for HIV, but with the proper treatment and medication, the condition can be well-managed. People who have HIV and get adequate treatment and medication are capable of living long and healthy lives.
Keeping an eye out for the first signs of HIV if you suspect you've been infected, and testing as early as possible, will help you to manage the condition better. It's also important to take your HIV medication regularly to prevent the condition from progressing.
"Taking medication for HIV is a lifelong therapy. Stopping your HIV medication will cause the disease to start to progress again," Gulick says.
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