Credits: atakan/istock
HIV symptoms: Virus attacks the immune system, which is responsible for defending the body from diseases – iStock/Getty Images
It is estimated that more than one million people live with HIV in Brazil (650 thousand men and 350 thousand women, on average). According to the epidemiological bulletin from the Department of Health and Environmental Surveillance of the Ministry of Healthin 2022 alone there were more than 16,700 cases of the infection recorded.
But what happens when you are diagnosed with the disease? According to experts, in the first few weeks after HIV infection, what is called Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS) occurs.
It refers to a set of flu-like symptoms that some people experience. Thus, this initial phase of HIV infection is also known as the “immunological window” or “acute syndrome of HIV infection”.
Symptoms of Acute Retroviral Syndrome may include:
- Fever
- Extreme fatigue
- Intense headache
- Sore throat
- Enlarged lymph nodes (tongues)
- Rash
These symptoms usually appear two to four weeks after exposure to the virus. This does not mean that all people infected with HIV will experience reactions during this initial phase, eventually being mild enough to go unnoticed. This is because Acute Retroviral Syndrome occurs because the virus is actively replicating in the body, and the immune system is responding to the infection. After this acute phase, some people may remain asymptomatic for a long period while the virus continues to multiply and gradually damage the immune system.
HIV: When to see a doctor?
With a high risk of spreading early in the period, the first symptoms of HIV usually disappear within a week to a month. So if you’re concerned that you may have been exposed to HIV, talk to your doctor about getting tested.
Amid constant medical advances on the subject, today treatment can help people with HIV live long and healthy lives. When administered correctly, medications can significantly reduce the viral load in the body, making the HIV virus undetectable in standard viral load tests.
When a person with HIV has an undetectable viral load, it does not mean that the virus has been completely eradicated, but rather that it is present at very low levels and will not transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
Find out more information about the topic at Ministry of Health website.
