HIV infection

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

Antibodies	HIV	Kaposi's sarcoma - lesion on the foot	Kaposi's sarcoma - perianal
Primary HIV infection

Human immunodeficiency virus infection

Any symptoms of illness may occur, since infections can occur throughout the body. Special symptoms relating to HIV infection include:

• Sore throat
• Mouth sores, including candidal infection
• Muscular stiffness or aching
• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Swollen lymph glands
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Rash of various types, including seborrheic dermatitis
• Frequent vaginal yeast infections

Note: At the time of diagnosis with HIV infection, many people have not experienced any symptoms.

• HIV ELISA/Western blot may show positive HIV antibody . If it is negative and the patient has definite risk factor for HIV infection, the test should be repeated in 3 months.
• Lower-than-normal CD4 cell count may show suppression of the immune system by the virus.
• HIV RNA viral load indicates the amount of virus in the bloodstream.
• Blood differential may show abnormalities.

Review Date: 02/13/2006
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.