Sat Jul 13 2024
Reading time : 4 mins
Many people in the UK suffer from HIV. A lot of them may not know that they are living with the infection because they fail to notice the initial symptoms. They may mistake them as common cold, but it is crucial to figure out those symptoms and get tested and treated as early as possible.
This blog compiles the first signs of HIV along with the symptoms you can encounter at its different phases.
Although it is rare, but there is a small probability that you can develop HIV symptoms within 3 days of getting the infection. Initially, you will experience flu-like symptoms that will persist for a couple of weeks. Then it will calm down naturally.
You can contract HIV infection unknowingly. Initially, you will experience common symptoms like ache, night sweats and fever that people often confuse with the common cold. It will resolve naturally within 1-2 weeks and then you may not experience any potential symptoms for up to 10 years. If you have any suspicion then testing is essential.
Both women and men face similar HIV symptoms in the early stage of the infection. Here’s what you may experience:
Mouth ulcers
Fatigue
Yeast infection in mouth
Sore throat
Abnormal rashes
Night sweats
Nausea
Aches and pain
Sore lymph nodes
Headache
Fever
After a couple of weeks, the initial symptoms will subside down and the infection will enter to the later stage also known as clinical latency. In this stage, the HIV infection becomes chronic and you may not experience any symptoms for a long time.
Over time, the symptoms will gradually shift in men due to weak immune system. Moreover, each man experiences different symptoms for the infection. Here’s what the first sign of HIV in males includes:
Reduced body and facial hair
Painful urination
Painful ejaculation
Prostatitis
Proctitis
Erectile dysfunction
Ununsual pain in testicles and around the penis
Ulcers on penis
With time, the HIV infection weakens the immune system of women letting them to experience multiple symptoms. The early symptoms of HIV in women are:
Fluctuation in period
Abdominal pain
More frequent yeast infections
Painful urination
Painful sex
Abnormal thick white discharge
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Fever is the foremost symptom of HIV. With fever, the body temperature rises above the normal levels causing shivering, chills and sweating. Often it is accompanied by other mild symptoms like sore throat, swollen lymph glands and fatigue.
As the immune system gets compromised due to the HIV infection you will start feeling more lethargic and tired. You may feel winded or experience shortness of breath during walking.
A number of other health issues can also make a person tired and fatigued. Hence, you should understand your physique and lifestyle to better understand the symptoms. You are advised to consult with a doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
Lymph nodes help protect the body from infection by taking action against viruses and bacteria. During an infection, they often become inflamed.
Most of the nodes are in armpit, neck and groin. You can experience aches in joints and muscles at the time of HIV infection too.
Skin rash may appear in the late or early HIV period. Once it appears, it usually lasts for 2-3 weeks.
Digestive issues can occur in the initial stages of HIV infection. But diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea can happen in later infection stage.
Therefore, patients need to stay well hydrated. If the diarrhoea isn’t responding to the normal therapy, then it may indicate the presence of HIV in the body. At that time, you need to seek advice from an experienced healthcare professional.
You will get chronic dry cough that will not go away easily even after using inhalers and antibiotics. It is the most common sign of HIV patients. If your dry cough is persistent and worsening then you must visit the doctor as early as possible.
Repeated episodes with extreme sweating, leading to soaking of nightclothes and bedding. In the initial stage of HIV, many patients experience night sweats. It can become very common and often it has no link to the room temperature and exercise. You must visit a doctor at this time.
Whenever you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms for a long period of time, seek a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible. Early intervention will end up with accurate diagnosis of your health. If you had unprotected sex lately and develop a suspicion, you can book a same-day appointment at private sexual health clinic in London. The quick result will give you peace of mind while preventing you from transferring the infection and ensure your optimal sexual health in the long run.
