What are the symptoms of HIV?

Once you contract HIV, the initial symptoms such as rashes on your body as well as fever, diarrhea, and other symptoms may not manifest till a few weeks or a few months. This stage, also known as the early symptomatic stage, may manifest as late as 6 months after you get the infection. It is thus highly recommended that if you have had unprotected sex or have been exposed to the virus in any way, you should immediately get tested.

Rashes on your skin are the first and the most obvious signs of an HIV infection. Many patients have reported the development of rashes which don't seem to go away even after topical treatments or taking oral medications. These may start on your arms or may move to the torso and back. These rashes will stay until the underlying immune deficiency is corrected. If you are having rashes for a long time, it is advisable that you go to a doctor and get yourself tested for HIV infection.

While HIV infections may cause you to have certain symptoms such as rashes on your skin as well as nausea and vomiting, this is only displayed during the first few weeks. These symptoms may go away in a month or two and you could easily brush them off as a temporary infection. However, the HIV enters the asymptomatic stage after which no apparent symptoms may be shown outward, but it manifests within the body for years, slowly destabilizing your immune system. Thus, this makes it even more important to get tested for HIV as regularly as possible.

Some of the well-known aspects of an HIV infection are fatigue, skin rashes, aching joints and diarrhea among others, but it has also been known to cause memory loss as well as depression. These problems primarily tend to occur as your immune system is severely compromised and the stress on your health takes a toll on your mind as well. Also, the weakened immune system may also result in chemical imbalances that may further result in memory loss and depression.