The first symptoms when being infected with the AIDS virus include general malaise, fever, dry cough and sore throat, often resembling the symptoms of a common cold, these last for approximately 14 days, and may appear 3 to 6 weeks after contamination with HIV.
Usually, the contamination occurs through risky behavior, where there was intimate contact without a condom or exchange of needles contaminated by the HIV virus. The test to detect the virus should be done 40 to 60 days after the risky behavior, because before that period the test may not detect the presence of the virus in the blood.
To learn more about this disease, watch the video:
Main signs and symptoms of AIDS
The main signs and symptoms of AIDS, manifest around 8 to 10 years after contamination with HIV or in certain situations where the immune system is weak and weakened. Thus, the signs and symptoms can be:
- Persistent fever; Prolonged dry cough and scratched throat; Night sweats; Swollen lymph nodes for more than 3 months; Headache and difficulty concentrating; Pain in muscles and joints; Tiredness, fatigue and loss of energy; Rapid weight loss; Oral or genital candidiasis that does not pass; Diarrhea for more than 1 month, nausea and vomiting; Reddish spots and small red balls or sores on the skin.
These symptoms usually arise when the HIV virus is present in large quantities in the body and the defense cells are very low in number compared to a healthy adult individual. In addition, at this stage where the disease presents symptoms, opportunistic diseases such as viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus are usually present, as the immune system is depressed.
But about 2 weeks after coming into contact with the HIV virus, the person may experience symptoms that go unnoticed, such as low fever and malaise. See a complete list of these early AIDS symptoms.
How do I know if I may have HIV
To find out if you are infected with the HIV virus, you should identify whether or not you had any risky behavior such as relationships without a condom or sharing contaminated syringes, and should be aware of the appearance of symptoms such as fever, general malaise, sore throat and dry cough.
After 40 to 60 days of the risky behavior, it is recommended to have a blood test to find out if you have HIV, and to repeat the test after 3 and 6 months again, because even if you do not show symptoms, you may have been infected with the virus. In addition, if you still have doubts about what to do if you suspect AIDS or when to take the test, read What to do if you suspect AIDS.
How is AIDS treatment
AIDS is a disease that has no cure and therefore its treatment has to be done for a lifetime, the main objective of treatment being to strengthen the immune system and fight the virus, controlling and reducing its amount in the blood.
Ideally, start HIV treatment before AIDS develops. This treatment can be done with a cocktail with different antiretroviral drugs, such as Efavirenz, Lamivudine and Viread, which are provided free of charge by the government, as well as all the tests necessary to assess the progression of the disease and viral load.
