HIV Symptoms

About HIV Symptoms

HIV human immunodeficiency virus infection progresses through distinct stages. Acute HIV infection seroconversion illness occurs 2 to 4 weeks after exposure in approximately 50 to 80 percent of patients, presenting as a mononucleosis like illness with fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, rash, headache, muscle and joint pain, night sweats, mouth ulcers, and diarrhea. This stage has extremely high viral load and is highly infectious, often missed because symptoms are nonspecific. Clinical latency chronic HIV follows, lasting 8 to 10 years untreated, during which the virus replicates at low levels and CD4 T cells gradually decline. Patients are usually asymptomatic but infectious. Without treatment, CD4 count drops below 200 cells mm3, leading to AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS defining illnesses include Pneumocystis pneumonia PCP, Kaposi sarcoma, Cryptococcal meningitis, Toxoplasmosis, CMV retinitis, disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex MAC, Candidiasis esophageal, and certain lymphomas. Diagnosis is made through HIV 1 2 antigen antibody immunoassay, confirmed by HIV 1 2 differentiation immunoassay. Nucleic acid test HIV RNA detects acute infection before antibodies develop. Current treatment is lifelong antiretroviral therapy ART, often a single combination tablet containing an integrase inhibitor such as bictegravir or dolutegravir with other antiretrovirals, and long acting injectable options are also available. ART suppresses viral load to undetectable levels, restoring immune function and preventing transmission Undetectable equals Untransmittable, U equals U. Life expectancy on ART approaches normal. PrEP pre exposure prophylaxis, including oral tenofovir based medication and long acting injectables, greatly reduces the risk of infection for people at increased risk.