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Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/early-hiv-symptoms/AN01726
- With Mayo Clinic internist
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
James Steckelberg, M.D.
Dr. James Steckelberg is a consultant in the Division of Infectious Diseases and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Dr. Steckelberg was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine as a resident in internal medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases, and is board certified in both. He is the former director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Steckelberg belongs to numerous professional organizations. He is a founding member of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society and a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He has served on many Mayo Clinic committees and is a member of the Department of Medicine Leadership Committee and of the executive committee of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also served on the editorial boards of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" and "Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy" and has been an editorial reviewer for more than a dozen publications.
Dr. Steckelberg's research interests include experimental models of infection, epidemiology of infection, and antimicrobial resistance and therapy of bacterial infections.
Symptoms (1)
- Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
- Tap water or bottled water: Which is better?
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Question
Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
When do early HIV symptoms first appear?
Answer
from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
Early HIV symptoms usually occur within a month or two after infection. In many people, early HIV symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph glands
- Rash
These early HIV symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. During this period, you are very infectious. More-persistent or more-severe symptoms of HIV infection may not appear for several years after the initial infection.
The symptoms that indicate an early HIV infection are extremely common. Often, you can't tell them apart from symptoms of another viral infection. And some people infected with HIV don't experience early symptoms. If you're concerned that you might have been exposed to HIV, talk to your doctor about your testing options.
Next questionTap water or bottled water: Which is better?
- HIV/AIDS: Early symptoms. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/HIVAIDS/Understanding/Pages/symptoms.aspx.Accessed Oct. 12, 2011.
- Sterling TR, et al. General clinical manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus infection: Clinical presentations and findings. In: Mandell JE, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..X0001-X--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed Oct. 12, 2011.
- Sax PE. Primary HIV-1 infection: Pathogenesis, epidemiology and clinical manifestations. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 12, 2011.
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