AIDS is still an incurable disease. To this day there is not a single documentary evidence that anyone has managed to overcome HIV. Everyone should know about the symptoms of this deadly disease, since its early recognition and timely treatment can prolong life.
Main stages
During this infectious disease, several main stages are distinguished:
- The incubation period. On average, its duration is from two weeks to twelve months - during this time, the immunodeficiency virus spreads throughout the body and multiplies to an amount sufficient so that the disease can cause any external manifestations.
- The primary signs of the disease. In people infected with HIV, the symptoms in the photo are invisible, but at the same time antibodies are produced in the body aimed at combating the pathogen. Infectious agents damage and destroy immunocomplexes, which is manifested in most patients by lymphadenopathy, frequent respiratory diseases, stool disorders and other symptoms. In isolated cases, the duration of the acute stage can drag on for several years.
- The hidden stage. Against the background of aggressive destruction of human immune cells by the virus, the body starts up compensatory mechanisms and intensively updates their composition, therefore, there are no noticeable symptoms of HIV in men and women in this period. The disease can only be detected with laboratory tests. This stage of the disease usually lasts about three years, but with proper treatment, it can take up to 10-15 years.
- Secondary diseases At this stage of HIV, the symptoms are fully manifested, since the affected protective system of the body is no longer able to fight the infection and destroy the virus. Various chronic diseases of a bacterial and fungal nature are exacerbated, and benign formations undergo a malignancy process.
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. This is the last stage of the disease, in which there is an extensive lesion of all organs and systems.
First symptoms
Signs of infection may appear as early as the next week after infection. The initial manifestations of the disease are:
- rashes on the body;
- low-grade body temperature;
- fast fatiguability;
- increased sweating;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
In infected women and men, early HIV symptoms quickly subside. And over the next few months, and maybe years, the disease may not manifest itself. But this does not mean that the disease has passed. In fact, the absence of HIV symptoms may indicate the progression of the disease, the most invisible to the patient. Following the asymptomatic stage, a new round of the development of the disease occurs, which leads to inevitable and irreversible complications.
Initial signs of HIV in patients of different sexes
There is an opinion that it is much more difficult to identify HIV symptoms in men than in women. This is due to the fact that the ladies have clear manifestations of infection, and the clinical picture is more diverse.
Despite the fact that the main symptoms of the virus are the same, regardless of age and gender, people spread the myth that women recognize the disease more easily, as it develops more slowly than men. The argument in this assumption is that the ladies are really more sensitive to the health of the genitourinary system and are more often examined by a gynecologist. Symptoms of HIV in women at an early stage of the disease are manifested by the following disorders of the genitourinary system:
- itching and flushing in the genital area;
- atypical vaginal discharge;
- the formation of erosion, sores, pustules on the mucous membrane of the genital organs.
Finding such troubles, a predominant number of women turn to specialists who refer patients for examination. At the same time, men mostly drag out with a visit to the clinic, unknowingly allowing the disease to develop to dangerous limits. In any case, the first symptoms of HIV are an occasion to visit a doctor and get tested. A timely diagnosis makes a good chance for an infected person a chance for a positive prognosis.
Skin rash
If the patient turns to a dermatologist-venereologist with a skin rash of unknown etiology, he will certainly be sent for a blood test. Rashes on the body occur after a time after infection. This is one of the early symptoms of HIV that causes panic. Of course, in most cases, the cause of the rash may be an allergy or one of the dermatoses. But with HIV, symptoms in men on the body most often occur as early as 5-13 days after infection and indicate that not everything is in order with the body.
The spots can be red or colorless, of absolutely any shape - in the form of small dots as a result of capillary hemorrhages, resemble urticaria or papular skin lesions, in which the formations on the epidermis are hollow, do not contain pus or bloody inclusions. Most often, rashes appear extensively in open areas of the body, so it is impossible to hide this symptom of HIV with clothing or accessories.
Fever and fever
The undoubted symptoms of HIV in the early stages include changes in temperature. With the "standard" development of the disease, at the end of the first week after infection, the patient develops an influenza clinic. Heat occurs suddenly at the end of the day, while the thermometer does not exceed subfebrile values.
The accompanying signs of HIV infection include symptoms characteristic of colds - chills, weakness, malaise, sore throat, runny nose. These manifestations are easily confused with respiratory disease.
Such manifestations of the virus are due to its spread through the circulatory system, where it begins to multiply actively. The immunity reacts to the pathogen and provokes inflammatory foci to overcome it, so the patient develops fever. Low-grade fever can last for several days or weeks.
Fatigue for no apparent reason.
The list of the first HIV symptoms in men and women includes fatigue. The patient’s doctor’s office brings a desire to find its cause. Fatigue is usually supplemented by muscle weakness, pain and aching joints, which are often attributed to flu symptoms. In the acute stage, this symptom is less pronounced, but its periodic manifestation is becoming more and more frequent, which suggests serious health problems. By the way, fatigue can indicate the progression of hepatitis or syphilis. In this case, the cause of this symptom can only be determined by a blood test.
Sweating
This is one of the first symptoms of HIV in women, which makes them pay special attention to their health. Sweating rises at night - patients wake up in a wet bed. Excessive activity of the sweat glands disappears during the first weeks, but sometimes remains with the patient until the last days.
Sweating with HIV is independent of indoor temperature or sleepwear. Being even in a cool room and without pajamas, a person will still sweat a lot. Men, unlike women, do not always attach special importance to this, attributing the HIV symptom to other, most often colds. But since prolonged sweating brings discomfort not only to the patient, but also to his relatives, the man is forced to go to the doctor to consult about his problem. Thus, HIV infection is detected.
Enlarged lymph nodes
As already noted, this symptom of HIV occurs in 100% of cases. Since the causative agent primarily affects the lymphatic system, the lymph nodes in the groin, cervical region and armpits become inflamed and swell. A person who in the recent past had unprotected sexual contact should be alert for this symptom. HIV infection is manifested by enlarged lymph nodes immediately after the end of the incubation period.
In addition, at an early stage, the disease is especially dangerous not only for the patient himself, but also for his partner - the initial stage is the most infectious. In this case, an immunofluorescence blood test for HIV after infection over the next 2-3 months may show a false negative result, since the principle of a laboratory test is to search for antibodies that are produced by the immune system to fight the virus. In this regard, a PCR study is more informative, which can confirm the presence of HIV in the body already 9-10 days after infection.
Late stage symptoms
The latent period of HIV in women and men is characterized by an almost complete absence of symptoms. Patients can lead a completely familiar lifestyle, not suspecting anything of infection, and the virus at this time actively multiplies and affects the immune system, making the body defenseless. In addition, the latent course of the disease does not mean that a person ceases to be a carrier of infection for his sexual partner.
After the latent stage , the next stage of the disease occurs, which is characterized by the manifestation of secondary signs, including:
- fungal infections;
- cough;
- pneumonia;
- herpes;
- damage to the nail plate;
- disorders in the central nervous system;
- dyspeptic disorders.
Mycoses
Speaking of a fungus as a symptom of HIV, they most often mean thrush in the oral cavity. This type of candidiasis is called pseudomembranous. This disease is characterized by total coverage of the mucosa with milk fungi. Candida first forms specific plaques on the mouth that cause pain during swallowing. Often candidiasis can spread to other parts of the body, passing from the oral mucosa, especially in the absence of proper hygiene. It is almost impossible to treat thrush in the late stages of HIV, since the aggressive blow that antifungal therapy will cause to a weakened immune system can be irreparable. So, treatment of thrush often leads to aggravation of the disease and the manifestation of new symptoms of HIV infection.
Cough
The human immunodeficiency virus is often accompanied by a dry cough, which can last from several months to several years. Most often, many attribute this symptom of HIV to allergies or residual colds. At the same time, patients undergo treatment with antihistamines or antibacterial drugs, use inhalers, but the cough does not go away and does not even change its type.
Pneumonia and TORCH infections
Everyone is afraid of becoming infected with HIV, therefore, everyone knows about the above signs of this disease. By the way, the appearance of not all of them immediately alarms the patient. One of the symptoms of HIV in men and women, which many do not associate with the course of the infection, is pneumonia. Pneumonia with AIDS develops with a significant decrease in immunity.
Pneumonia in itself is a dangerous pathology, and for a person with HIV-positive status it can be fatal. With pneumonia, which was preceded by a prolonged cough, other symptoms and signs of HIV, it is necessary to undergo a study for the presence of the pathogen in the blood. In addition to pneumonia, dangerous viral diseases from the TORCH group can also be activated:
- toxoplasmosis;
- helminthiasis;
- Epstein-Barr virus;
- cytomegalovirus.
Herpes
Even if the very first symptoms of HIV in a man or woman did not cause concern, it is impossible to ignore such manifestations of AIDS as herpes. It can manifest itself at the initial stage and at the late stage of the disease. The presence of herpetic eruptions in the sexual partner should be the basis for refusing contact with him until the results of the tests are obtained. Herpes activates when HIV is most dangerous. It is not surprising that people with positive status often suffer from rashes, since their immunity is not able to suppress the activity of the virus.
Nails
The late signs of this incurable disease are becoming more diverse. The pathological process can affect even the nail plates. In HIV patients, the nails on the hands and feet:
- become fat;
- bend;
- are stratified;
- change their color;
- covered with stripes of dark color.
These clinical manifestations are the result of the defeat of a fungal infection, which the weakened immune system is not able to resist. Men, who are more likely to suffer from nail mycoses, often do not even pay much attention to such changes. However, nail treatment will not bring any result - a symptom will occur again and again.
CNS disorders
Patients note numbness of the arms and legs, as well as a tingling sensation. However, it is impossible to conclude about HIV infection without conducting a blood test, since peripheral neuropathy is characteristic of diabetes mellitus and a number of neurological and cardiovascular diseases. In a patient with HIV, the central nervous system is in constant tension and works at the limit of its capabilities. As a result, increased load leads to tremor of the limbs. This is especially noticeable in patients who play sports: now it is difficult for them to demonstrate the results that they previously achieved without much difficulty.
Later signs of the disease are difficulties in logical thinking and perception of the surrounding world. In simple words, in the last stages of the disease can provoke dementia in women and men. Symptoms of HIV are manifested in confusion, decreased concentration, and memory impairment. The patient often experiences mood swings, and other behavioral habits quickly replace others. Patients in the later stages of this disease become irritable and aggressive.
The virus affects the meninges and nerve centers, which leads to the degradation of motor functions, including:
- unsteady gait;
- impaired coordination of movements;
- impaired fine motor skills of the hands;
- loss of familiar skills and performance.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
Dyspeptic disorders in HIV patients are not mandatory symptoms of this disease. Most often, episodes of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are short-lived. Such manifestations of the disease occur in one third of those infected. Sometimes they occur against the background of continuous use of drugs that are vital for such patients. In the later stages, liver failure can cause nausea and vomiting. This is often due to a decrease in body weight by at least 20% of normal or initial indicators.
Men and women who often experience nausea or diarrhea should be tested immediately to rule out HIV infection.
How to treat a disease
Today, much is known about how HIV manifests itself, but no one knows how to cure hundreds of thousands of doomed patients. Despite the fact that leading researchers have been developing for decades, the search for a cure for infection has not yet been successful. To date, the only way to combat HIV is to stop the deadly virus. The sooner the disease is detected, the more likely it is to choose an effective therapeutic program for the patient, which will help restrain the activity and reproduction of the virus, and will maintain human immunity for a long time.
If you have the first symptoms and signs of HIV infection, but there is no possibility or desire to wait for the results of an ELISA, some clinics conduct rapid tests. Each patient will be able to find out about his status in half an hour. The procedure is confidential, therefore information on the results of the analysis is available only to the researched.
In medicine, there are many cases where people with positive HIV status survived to old age, remaining carriers of it. It is worth noting that in Russia laboratory tests and antiretroviral therapy drugs are provided free of charge.
What else is important to know
In addition to antiretroviral therapy, the patient must strictly observe some recommendations:
- provide yourself with a full and strong 7-8-hour sleep, which gives a boost of energy and strength to the whole body;
- hygiene should be regular;
- avoid hypothermia, colds and SARS infection, especially in the cold season;
- avoid stressful situations;
- daily clean the room with disinfectant solutions;
- Do not be too long in the sun;
- stop smoking and drinking alcohol;
- use only the services of trusted beauty salons and tattoo parlors;
- seek dental care in specialized medical institutions;
- eat balanced;
- to live an active lifestyle.
In addition, it is mandatory to undergo a test for antibodies to infection in pregnant women. Children born from infected parents are constantly monitored. Such babies are always breast-fed, as breastfeeding increases the risk of infection from the mother.
It is important to understand that there is no current HIV vaccine, but there is hope that it will certainly appear in the near future. Although today no one considers this disease a sentence. The main thing is to start treatment immediately, that is, as soon as the first symptoms of the disease are detected and the test results showed a positive result. Of course, lifelong antiretroviral therapy implies a number of limitations, but thanks to it, many live a full life until old age.