What are the Symptoms of HIV and AIDS?

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The pirmary HIV infection may present as a flu-like illness or it may be silent but even if there have been no symptoms you can infect other people. After 6-12 weeks antibodies to the HIV virus are detectable in the blood. This is called being HIV Positive and often people who are HIV Positive will remain well for an average of about 9 years before they develop AIDS.

AIDS means “acquired immune deficiency syndrome” and is due to the HIV virus having killed off many of the T-helper cells which are an important part of the immune system. The HIV virus also attacks the nervous system. The symptoms are varied but include:

• fatigue

• weight loss

• repeated bronchial and skin infections that do not react to normal treatment

• fever

• swollen lymph nodes

• diarrhoea

• small, deep ulcers often preceded by small blisters

• night sweats

• outbreak of previous infections that have remained dormant (herpes, toxoplasmosis, shingles and other conditions)

• 'opportunistic infections' - serious infections which can lead to a number of related illnesses such as cancer or dementia

• death

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