HIV Disease and AIDS
Keys to Understanding and Coping
The Symptoms: How HIV Reveals Itself
HIV disease reveals itself across a variety of stages, with different symptoms appearing along the way. No two people are alike in every respect, however, and no two cases will be exactly the same. The symptoms listed here are merely guidelines for your information. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the development of medications that may help keep HIV under control for long periods of time.
In the beginning: Acute HIV Syndrome (Primary HIV Infection)
Around 3 to 6 weeks after initial infection, 50% to 70% of people experience symptoms similar to those associated with the flu or mononucleosis:
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- Symptoms usually last about one or two weeks before gradually going away.
- Although the level of HIV in the blood is quite high, symptoms are often ignored and, in many cases, even unnoticed.
- 30% to 50% of people will not experience any symptoms.
Along the way: Symptom-Free Phase (Clinical Latency)
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The length of this phase varies from person to person. The average is about 10 years, but can be much longer.
- Despite the fact that HIV is extremely active in the body, generally very few symptoms are experienced.
At the advanced stages: Opportunistic Infections (Clinical AIDS)
As CD4 cells are destroyed and the immune system breaks down, HIV eventually leads to the so-called opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. Why opportunistic? Because these infections take advantage of the door left open by the failing immune system. The more common of these are:
- pneumonia and other lung infections
- shingles
- fungal infections such as those characterized by white spots on the tongue
- viral infections such as herpes simplex
- vaginal infections in women
- other conditions such as Kaposi's sarcoma or lymphoma
Questions & Answers
"The Symptom-Free Phase can last for years. How is this possible?"
In addition to certain medications that may help slow the progress of HIV, CD4 cells destroyed by the virus continue to be replaced by your body. Your CD4 cells may remain at an effective level, fighting against HIV for many years. But, at some point, it is likely the balance between the immune system and HIV will begin to shift in favour of the virus. Symptoms of the more advanced infection will then begin to appear.
