Stages and Symptoms of HIV you must know
There are several symptoms of HIV. and not everyone will have the same symptoms, it depends on the person and the stage of HIV they are in.
Below are the three stages and symptoms of HIV people may experience.
Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection
Within 2 to 4 weeks after been infected with HIV, about two-thirds of people will have a flu-like sickness such as:
- Fever
- Chills
- Rash
- Night sweats
- Muscle aches
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Mouth ulcers
These symptoms can last from a few days to several weeks. But some people may not have any symptoms at all during this early stage of HIV.
Stage 2: Clinical Latency
In this stage, the virus still multiplies, but at very low levels. People in this stage may not feel sick or have any symptoms.
Without HIV treatment, people in this stage can survive for 10-15 years.
If you take HIV medicine every day, as prescribed you can protect your health and have no risk of transmitting HIV to your sexual partner.
Stage 3: AIDS
If you have HIV and you are not on HIV treatment, eventually the virus will weaken your body’s immune system and you will progress to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
Which is the late stage of HIV infection where the symptoms include:
- Rapid weight loss
- Recurring fever or profuse night sweats
- Extreme and unexplained tiredness
- Prolonged swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
- Diarrhea that lasts for more than a week
- Sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals
- Pneumonia
- Red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
- Memory loss, depression, and other neurologic disorders.
Warning ⚠️
Don’t assume you have HIV just because you have any of these symptoms, because each of these symptoms can also be related to other illnesses.
The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested. And If you are HIV-positive, a health care provider will diagnose if your HIV has progressed to stage 3 (AIDS).
