AIDS symptoms

Introduction

AIDS symptoms depend on the stage of the disease and vary from patient to patient. The symptoms of the AIDS disease are divided into three categories, which are characterized by the respective symptoms.

AIDS category A symptoms

This category (A) of symptoms of AIDS is characterized by the fact that about 30% of patients show signs of mononucleosis (whistling glandular fever) 3 to 6 weeks after the initial infection. These include symptoms such as: The screening test for HIV antibodies is still negative at this stage. A positive result is usually seen after about 1 to 3 months after infection. – Fever

  • Swelling of lymph nodes
  • Muscle pain and
  • An enlarged spleen.

AIDS category B symptoms

In order to classify the disease AIDS in category (B), the viral load must increase (under viral load one refers to the detectable viruses in the blood) and the number of T-helper cells (special white blood cells that belong to the immune system) must decrease. Category B is characterised by various illnesses/symptoms that are caused by the ever-evolving immune deficiency, but do not yet fall under category (C):

  • Temperatures above 38.5°C or chronic diarrhoea
  • Tendency to bleed due to insufficient platelet count (no apparent cause)
  • Whitish, not strippable coatings on the edge of the tongue
  • Herpes zoster (shingles)
  • Fungal infections (in the neck or genital area)

AIDS category C symptoms

There are diseases and symptoms that characterise and define the full picture of an HIV infection, i.e. AIDS. These include: Wasting syndromes: This is an unintentional loss of weight (over 10%) and chronic diarrhoea or fever. HIV-associated encephalopathy: This is an infection of the central nervous system (CNS).

In addition to the brain, the CNS also includes the spinal cord. opportunistic infections Healthy people are almost never infected by these pathogens. Even in HIV-positive people who are under antiviral therapy, these pathogens attack less frequently.

In untreated HIV-positive people, however, these diseases show a complicated course and are difficult to treat. These diseases/symptoms include: malignant tumours

  • Toxoplasmosis
  • Fungal infections (Pneumocystis carinii, Candida albicans, cryptococci)
  • Bacterial infections (frequent pneumonia, atypical mycobacteria)
  • Virus infections (CMV, Herpes zoster, Herpes simplex virus)
  • Kaposi’s sarcoma (blue-violet spots/nodules mainly on the cleavage lines of the skin)
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (mostly B cell type)
  • Cervical cancer
  • Wasting Syndromes: This is an unwanted weight loss (over 10%) and chronic diarrhea or fever. – HIV-associated encephalopathy: This is an infection of the central nervous system (CNS).

The CNS includes the brain and the spinal cord. – opportunistic infections: Healthy people almost never get infected by these pathogens. Even in HIV-positive people who are under antiviral therapy, these pathogens attack less frequently.

In untreated HIV-positive people, however, these diseases show a complicated course and are difficult to treat. These diseases/symptoms include Toxoplasmosis Fungal infections (Pneumocystis carinii, Candida albicans, cryptococci) Bacterial infections (frequent pneumonia, atypical mycobacteria) Virus infections (CMV, Herpes zoster, Herpes simplex virus)

  • Toxoplasmosis
  • Fungal infections (Pneumocystis carinii, Candida albicans, cryptococci)
  • Bacterial infections (frequent pneumonia, atypical mycobacteria)
  • Virus infections (CMV, Herpes zoster, Herpes simplex virus)
  • Malignant tumours Kaposi’s sarcoma (blue-violet spots/nodules mainly on the cleavage lines of the skin) Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (mostly B cell type) Cervical cancer
  • Kaposi’s sarcoma (blue-violet spots/nodules mainly on the cleavage lines of the skin)
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (mostly B cell type)
  • Cervical cancer
  • HIV in children Children are mainly infected directly with the HIV-infected mother with AIDS. These children are mostly premature babies, suffer from deformed heads and CNS damage. They also suffer from symptoms of opportunistic infections, which very rarely affect healthy people.