Symptoms of AIDS

HIV may not cause symptoms for many years. The first ones often feel like the flu. The virus is quickly reproducing during this time. The body’s immune system is mounting a defense. During this phase, a person can still pass HIV to others.

The first symptoms that appear are:

• Fever, night sweats
• Excess tiredness
• Swollen glands in armpits, neck, or groin
• Headache
• Dry cough
• Rash
• Sore throat
• Joint pain

After these go away, a person may not notice anything for months or many years. Despite this, the virus is growing and damaging the immune system. During this time, a person can pass HIV to others.

Over the next 1 to 3 years, symptoms may include:

• Swollen glands all over the body
• Tiredness
• Fungal infections of:
  • The mouth, fingernails, toes
  • The vagina (yeast infections)
• Warts
• Other health problems that get worse such as eczema, psoriasis, or genital herpes
• Shingles
• Fever, night sweats
• Weight loss
• Long lasting diarrhea
• Memory loss

Untreated HIV progresses to AIDS. The immune system is weak. This can lead to opportunistic infections. These infections happen in people who have a weak immune system. People with AIDS get them because their body cannot fight them off.

Common opportunistic infections are:

• Thrush—an overgrowth of yeast in the mouth
• Pneumocystis pneumonia
• Invasive fungal infections
• Toxoplasmosis infection
• Tuberculosis
• Certain cancers, such as:
  • Kaposi sarcoma
  • Lymphoma
  • Cervical cancer
• Uncommon intestinal infections
• Severe skin rashes

A weak immune system from AIDs can also lead to:

• Mental health problems such as depression and dementia
• Extreme weight loss and muscle wasting
• Problems that damage the kidneys or heart