HIV Signs - Primary Infection

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:04

Primary HIV infection: symptoms

Symptoms of HIV infection are not always observed. In general, these are unspecific, of varying intensity and, although they can be typical of HIV, they are never conclusive. They can occur with many other diseases as well. In any case, HIV must be examined with a suitable method and possibly over time…

navigation

• Continue reading
• more on the subject
• Advice, downloads & tools

Take nonspecific symptoms seriously

One to six weeks after infection, more than half of all patients develop a disease with fever, swollen lymph nodes and sore throat, which is similar to mononucleosis (Pfeiffer's glandular fever).

Up to 70 percent of patients develop a skin rash (exanthem) and about a third develop a mucosal rash (enanthem) or ulcers (aphthae) in the mouth and throat. Other symptoms of acute HIV infection can be: tiredness, fatigue, exhaustion, loss of appetite, excitability, meningism, pain behind the eyeball (retrobulbar pain), muscle pain.

Early treatment has been shown to be beneficial for those affected. It has therefore been recommended that HIV therapy be started as soon as the infection is diagnosed since 2015. In addition, the decrease in viral load significantly reduces the infectivity.

Initial clinical symptoms

Symptoms and laboratory parameters	Frequency in percent
fever	> 90
fatigue	> 90
skin rash	> 70
a headache	32-70
Swelling of the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)	40-70
Inflammation of the throat (pharyngitis)	50-70
Myalgias, arthralgias (muscle and joint pain)	50-70
Gastrointestinal complaints	30-60
Night sweats	50
Mouth ulcers	10-20
Genital ulcers	5-15
Lack of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia)	45
Lack of white blood cells (leukocytopenia)	40
increased liver enzymes (GOT, GPT, GGT, alkaline phosphatase)	21st