HIV: Would You Be Able To Tell if You Were Infected?

If HIV enters the body, 40% to 90% of people experience flu-like symptoms known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS), within a month or two. However, in some cases it can be years, or even decades, before you see any signs that you’re infected with HIV.

According to Michael Horberg, MD, director of HIV/AIDS for Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, California, ‘In the early stages of HIV infection, the most common symptoms are none.’ You may be thinking, ‘So what? It won’t happen to me,’ but roughly one in five people don’t know they have the infection, and so it is vital that you get tested, whoever you are, but especially if you have unprotected sex with more than one partner or use intravenous drugs.

So are there any symptoms you can be on the look out for? One of the first signs of ARS can be a mild fever, usually accompanied by other mild symptoms, such as fatigue, swollen lymph glands, and a sore throat. Carlos Malvestutto, MD, instructor of infectious diseases and immunology in the department of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, says, ‘At this point the virus is moving into the blood stream and starting to replicate in large numbers. As that happens, there is an inflammatory reaction by the immune system.’

Dr. Malvestutto adds that 30% to 60% of people have short-term nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea in the early stages of HIV, and rashes, weight loss and night sweats are not uncommon. Also, your nails could be affected, as ‘patients with depleted immune systems will be more susceptible to fungal infections,’ he says. Also, be on the look out for cold sores or genital herpes, yeast infections and irregular periods.

The more common and mild ARS symptoms are often brushed aside as the flu, but Dr Horberg urges that you recognise the context of the symptoms. He says that if you’ve engaged recently in high-risk behaviour, whether you show these symptoms or not, you need to get a HIV test. As HIV is at its most infectious in the earliest stages, your sexual health, and the wellbeing of your partners, depends on getting tested as soon as possible. However, it can take a few weeks to a few months for HIV antibodies to show in a blood test, so investigate other test options such as one that detects viral RNA, as this typically works within nine days of infection.