HIV Symptoms - Know The Signs, Know The
Differences
Author: John Francis Amberden

One of the worst things that can happen to anyone is the
manifestation of HIV symptoms. To most, an HIV infection is an
automatic death sentence. This fear is the main reason why many
people don't get tested, even though they know they are at risk.
Perhaps the strongest weapon used to combat this hesitance is
information. There are a lot of myths circulating out there
regarding HIV symptoms and AIDS symptoms. And until these are
negated, a significant proportion of adults will remain
uneducated.

First of all, HIV isn't AIDS, but rather AIDS is a stage in the
HIV infection. An HIV infection progresses through three main
stages: acute infection, chronic infection, and then AIDS.
While HIV symptoms tend to be vague, especially in the first
two stages, a few key conditions are night sweats, severe
weight loss and swollen lymph nodes.

There is no guarantee that a person who has been diagnosed with
HIV, and is showing the classic HIV symptoms, will ever develop
AIDS. In persons who do progress, the first AIDS symptoms
typically become evident within 10 to 15 years of first
contracting the disease. In a small percentage of individuals,
the onset of all AIDS symptoms can be as short as 3 years after
infection. Sadly, the initial stages of HIV often exhibit no
symptoms so by the time a patient shows all AIDS symptoms,
their immune system has already been compromised.

AIDS symptoms' is itself a misleading term as there is no one
set of signs that can be used to make an accurate diagnosis
without a blood test. That being said, there are some
conditions that may point to a possible case of AIDS. They are
similar to those of a stage 1 or stage 2 HIV infection but tend
to be more acute. All AIDS symptoms include fatigue, swollen
lymph nodes, a fever lasting more than 10 days, unexplained
weight loss, purplish spots on the skin, shortness of breath,
severe or chronic diarrhea, yeast infections in the mouth or
vagina, easy bruising or unexplained bleeding and the most well
known of all AIDS symptoms, night sweats.

It is clear that all AIDS symptoms are debilitating, but some
can be explained by other conditions, such as food poisoning or
even heart disease. Therefore, there is generally no reason to
worry if you're just running a fever or you've been tired for
the past few days. However, if you're exhibiting three or more
of these symptoms, much less all AIDS symptoms or HIV symptoms,
and you haven't been tested, you need to get yourself to a
doctor. Even if you have none of the conditions listed and you
know that you may have possibly been exposed, get tested.  It's
the only smart thing to have done.


About The Author: John Francis Amberden is a regular article
contributor on many topics. If you have found this article
helpful, visit his resource sites,
http://www.hivaidssymptoms.info and
http://www.hiv-home-testing.info. For information on other
topics of interest, visit
http://www.important-information-online.com.