Symptoms of HIV and AIDS

Symptoms of HIV are divided into several stages. The first stage is the acute infection stage, and occurs in the first few months after a person is infected with HIV. At this stage, the infected person's immune system forms antibodies to fight the HIV virus.

In most cases, symptoms at this stage appear 1-2 months after infection occurs. Patients generally do not realize that they have been infected with HIV. This is because the symptoms that appear are similar to flu symptoms, and can disappear and recur. Please note, at this stage the amount of virus in the bloodstream is quite high. Therefore, the spread of infection is simpler at this stage.

• Symptoms of the acute stage of infection can be mild to severe, and can last up to several weeks, which include:
• Fever to chills.
• A rash appears on the skin (skin infection).
• Gag.
• Pain in joints and muscles.
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Headache.
• Stomach ache.
• Sore throat and canker sores on the tongue and in the oral cavity.

After a few months, HIV infection enters a latent stage. The latent stage of infection can last for years or decades. At this stage, the HIV virus is growing and destroying the immune system.

Symptoms of HIV infection in the latent stage vary. Some sufferers don't feel any symptoms troughout this stage. However, another sufferers experience a number of symptoms, such as:

• Weight loss.
• Sweating at night.
• Fever.
• Diarrhea.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Herpes zoster.
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Headache.
• Body feels weak.

Late latent infection is treated too late, will make the HIV virus continues to grow. This condition makes HIV infection enter the third stage, specifically AIDS. When the patient enters this stage, the immune system is severely damaged, making the sufferer more susceptible to other infections.

Symptoms of AIDS include:

• Weight loss for no known reason.
• Sweating at night.
• White patches on the tongue, mouth, genitals, and anus.
• Purple spots on the skin that do not go away. This complaint may indicate the presence of Kaposi's sarcoma.
• Fever that lasts more than 10 days.
• Chronic diarrhea.
• Nerve disorders, such as difficulty concentrating or memory loss.
• Yeast infection within the mouth, throat, or vagina.
• Easy bruising or bleeding for no reason.
• Irritable and depressed.
• Rashes or spots on the skin.
• Hard to breathe.
• The body always feels weak.
• Complications of HIV and AIDS

HIV infection makes the immune system weaken, so the body is more susceptible to infection with various diseases, including:

• Tuberculosis (TB). TB is a lung infection that often attacks people with HIV, and even becomes the main cause of death in AIDS sufferers.
• Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can trigger seizures if it spreads to the brain.
• Cytomegalovirus. Cytomegalovirus is an infection caused by a group of herpes viruses. This infection can cause damage to the eyes, digestive tract, and lungs.
• Candidiasis. Candidiasis is a Candida yeast infection that causes rashes on a number of areas of the body. This infection is caused by a parasite that lives in the digestive system.
• Cryptococcal meningitis. Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord caused by a fungus.
• Wasting syndrome. Wasting syndrome is a condition when people with AIDS lose 10% of their body weight. This condition is usually accompanied by diarrhea and chronic fever.
• HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN). HIVAN is inflammation of the filters in the kidneys. This condition causes disturbances to remove metabolic waste from the body.
• Neurological disorders. Although AIDS does not infect nerve cells, people with AIDS can experience a number of conditions such as depression, irritability, and even difficulty walking. One of the most common neurological disorders that afflict AIDS sufferers is dementia.

In addition to a number of diseases above, there are several types of cancer that can attack people with HIV, including Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphoma. Kaposi's sarcoma is cancer that can appear along the blood vessels or lymph channels. While lymphoma is cancer of the lymph nodes.