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Common signs and symptoms of HIV

During the onset of HIV, the symptoms are so mild that they are easily missed. But the disease will constantly grow within you as the virus keeps spreading. Therefore, it is important for you to identify that you have HIV as early as possible. The symptoms vary from person to person, but there are some common symptoms that appear within a month or two after you are infected. Some of these most prevalent signs are listed here.

Common signs and symptoms of HIV

Flu-like condition
About 40-90% of infected people experience a flu-like condition or a mild fever in their initial days. This situation is known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). The fever usually ranges around 102 F. However, the fever does not present itself alone. It brings with itself a constant headache and sometimes swollen lymph glands. A sore throat is also experienced by many. This is the phase when the bloodstream starts being full of the virus and the virus goes on replicating in huge numbers.

Fatigue
Once being attacked by the HIV virus, your immune system will activate its inflammatory response. This response, in turn, makes your feel lethargic. You will constantly feel out of breath even while performing simple tasks. You may even feel dizzy while walking on the road. Fatigue is experienced in both the earlier and the later days of HIV.

Pain in muscles and swollen lymph nodes
Sometimes people confuse the early symptoms of HIV with that of normal flu or syphilis or hepatitis. This is because all of them have almost similar symptoms. Another common symptom is the joint pain. Also, the lymph nodes become swollen. The function of the lymph nodes is to cleanse your blood of the various bacteria. Because of the inflammatory response of the body’s immune system, the lymph nodes tend to swell up and cause mild pain. The pain is usually near the neck, groin and armpit as these are the places, which have the maximum lymph nodes.

Skin rash
Numerous people claim to have suffered from skin rashes when they were infected by the HIV virus. Rashes can take the form of boils and sometimes they are in the form of pink breakouts. Your skin becomes scaly. When you are infected with HIV, you become highly sensitive to sunlight and even the slightest change in your environment.

Sore throat
A sore throat accompanied by a mild dry cough is another common symptom experienced by many infected with HIV. Although a sore throat can happen to anyone, all sore throat conditions are not related to HIV. When you have HIV, you will notice that your sore throat will not cure despite the regular dosage of antibiotics.

Vomiting
Feeling nauseated is also very common when you are affected by HIV. Hence you might suffer from problems related to the digestive system and end up vomiting after every meal. Diarrhea-like conditions may appear at a later stage.
Sometimes people cannot identify HIV even years after they are infected. So if you are sexually active and you observe any of the symptoms that do not appear to get cured, then it is wise to get yourself checked.

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