The group of symptoms and signs are often collectively called as acute retroviral syndrome, since HIV is a type of retrovirus. A few laboratory tests like white blood cell count, platelet count, or liver function tests, low CD4 count, high viral load may also be abnormal during this time, although these findings are not in and of themselves diagnosis of HIV. Whether the symptoms and signs of acute HIV infection are due to the “cytokine storm” as the host immune system is activated is not known. Both factors likely contribute to the early symptoms.
It is estimated that 50-90% of people develop symptoms, but these may range vary according to patients condition. In one prospective study, among those with symptoms at the time of acute infection 95% sought medical care. Nevertheless, acute HIV infection is rarely diagnosed, partly because the symptoms are variable. The onset of illness is between 2 and 6 weeks after viral transmission and is believed to correlate with peak viremia.
Symptoms of acute HIV infection are caused by high levels of viral replication, which leads to a very high viral load. Viral replication activates a delayed cytotoxic T lymphocyte i.e. CDs response. Cytotoxic T cells contain viral replication, which helps resolve symptoms of acute HIV. After symptoms resolve, patients enter a latent phase of asymptomatic infection. This latent phase usually lasts for years to decades.
It occurs during dissemination of the virus with high-grade viremia. Acute retroviral syndrome, i.e.Acute HIV infection syndrome develops in 40-90% of patients infected with HIV and starts 2-6 weeks after exposure to HIV. It lats for days to weeks, typically 14 days, but may persist up to 10 weeks. The development of specific antibodies against HIV marks the completion of seroconversion. Often, by the time of the onset of symptoms, the patient does not correlate the acute HIV conversion symptoms with the sexual encounter.
Signs & Symptoms of Acute HIV infection
Most people develop some symptoms during the period of acute HIV infection. Common symptoms include fever, chills, sweats, sore throat, body aches, night sweats, stomach ache, stiff neck, loss of appetite, weight loss, oral or genital ulcers, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. Neurological manifestations, such as aseptic meningitis, radioculopathy, and cranial nerve VII palsy, occur in some symptomatic patients.
Newly infected individual may present, generally within 1 to 4 weeks, with a virus-like illness called the acute retroviral syndrome. Symptoms can include headache, retro-orbital pain, muscle aches, sore throat, low-grade or high grade fever, swollen lymph nodes, rash and joint pains. In some cases it shows oral candidiasis, ulcerations in esophases, anus, and vagina. Also central nervous systems disorders can be observed in some patients. In some individuals, pneumonitis as well as diarrhea is also found.
In advanced stage of HIV infection or AIDS patients symptoms get more advanced due to a weakened immune system. At this point, individuals are susceptible to many infections and complications. Because they lack strong immune response, person with advanced disease get sick from illnesses that most people with intact immune system can fight off. These include so-called opportunitstic infections like pneumocystis pneumonia, Cryptococcus, mycobacteria avium intracelulare, and reactivation of prior toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus infections.
Children with HIV infection often present with non-specific conditions that are common in childhood. The symptoms are weight gain, prolonged fever, oral thrush or candidiasis, chronic diarrhea, chronic gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, bacterial infection, upper respiratory tract infection, ear infection, pneumonia, tonsillitis, UTI, skin and eye infections.
The group of symptoms and signs are often collectively called as acute retroviral syndrome, since HIV is a type of retrovirus. A few laboratory tests like white blood cell count, platelet count, or liver function tests, low CD4 count, high viral load may also be abnormal during this time, although these findings are not in and of themselves diagnosis of HIV. The very first encounter that the body has with HIV during acute HIV infection is a most active period when the body and the virus fights and attack each other, as the human host tries to control the virus. However, the virus is fast as it usually evades host control. During this fight, immune system activates and releases various important cell-signaling chemicals called cytokines. The symptoms and signs of acute HIV infection are due to the “cytokine storm” as the host immune system activated is not known. Both factors likely contribute to the early symptoms.
It is estimated that 50-90% of people develop symptoms, but these may range vary according to patients condition. In one prospective study, among those with symptoms at the time of acute infection 95% sought medical care. Nevertheless, acute HIV infection is rarely diagnosed, partly because the symptoms are variable.
Symptoms of acute HIV infection are caused by high levels of viral replication, which leads to a very high viral load. It occurs during dissemination of the virus with high-grade viremia. Acute retroviral syndrome, i.e.Acute HIV infection syndrome develops in 40-90% of patients infected with HIV and starts 2-6 weeks after exposure to HIV. It lats for days to weeks, typically 14 days, but may persist up to 10 weeks.
