How Long Does It Take For HIV To Show Up Its Common Symptoms?

Posted By Claudia on May 21, 2021 | 0 comments

How long does it take for HIV to show up? What typical symptoms should you be aware of to notice it? We’ll discover those symptoms in this article. Meanwhile, most HIV patients get a deep tissue massage to reduce stress and other HIV symptoms. A deep tissue massage can indirectly boost the fighting system against various infections and diseases.

What is HIV?

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system of the body. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for it. On the other hand, there are still treatments available that can help with the reduction of effects on people’s lives.

As a result of the weakened immune system, an individual can develop other infections and diseases. Furthermore, HIV infection can spread through contact with bodily fluids from the infected person. Another way is unprotected sexual contact or shared injection drug equipment.

If a person does not undergo treatment for HIV, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) can develop. Without undergoing any treatment for HIV, AIDS will soon arise, and people at this phase survive in about three years.

For this reason, everyone should know the various symptoms associated with HIV infection. However, not all these symptoms may signify HIV infection because it can be from another illness. The only thing you can do to make sure about it is to undergo HIV testing.

HIV testing for detection

Below are the HIV testing options that medical professionals do to determine if an individual is HIV positive.

1. HIV antibody test: An antibody test involves detecting the amount of antibody production inside your body in response to HIV. This test covers the antibody production within two to 12 weeks after getting infected.
2. Antigen test: This test includes the measurement of p24 antigen, the protein present in the virus. After infection, the production of this protein is noticeably in high amounts. Doctors can do this test at an earlier stage of HIV.
3. Nucleic acid test (NAT): Doctors also refer to it as the RNA test. This test is particular, wherein it looks for the virus itself. Furthermore, it can detect the infection as early as about ten days.
4. In-home test kits: This test kit applies if the patient wants to have some privacy and comfort to do the test at home. However, this test option is less accurate than the tests done inside the laboratory. If a person decides to choose this option, they should assure that they will purchase the FDA-approved home kits.
5. Viral culture: In this test, doctors will get the patient’s sample and grow the virus inside the lab. All in all, this test option is highly not preferable to test HIV, and it takes a more extended period to obtain the results.

Early signs recognition is a vital aspect so that patients can seek medical help immediately. In effect, HIV carriers can get more excellent results.

How long does it take for HIV to show up its symptoms?

Symptoms can vary depending on the stage of HIV you are in. Please look at the details below that may help you out if you suspect yourself as HIV positive.

• Acute HIV stage: Early symptoms occur two to four weeks after the first exposure at this phase. Please note that in some cases, there are no symptoms at this stage.
  • Symptoms:
    • fever
    • headaches
    • sore throat
    • excessive fatigue
    • chills
    • muscle pain
    • swollen glands
    • maculopapular truncal rash
• Chronic HIV stage: In this phase, HIV is asymptomatic or clinical latency. An infected person may or may not have symptoms at this level. If they do, here are a few.
  • Symptoms:
    • coughing
    • breathing difficulties
    • diarrhea
    • fatigue
    • high fever
    • weight loss
• AIDS: It is the most severe phase of HIV. The person at this stage experiences various severe illnesses already.
  • Symptoms:
    • fevers ranging to 37.8°C and above, with severe chillings and night sweats
    • white spots in the mouth
    • rashes
    • pneumonia
    • headaches
    • memory problems
    • massive weight loss
    • breathing difficulties

Although we managed to identify various symptoms associated with HIV, some cases don’t show signs. Symptoms may not appear for a decade or longer. In this case, there could be a possibility of high HIV transmission to others.

Final thoughts

How long does it take for HIV to show up symptoms? It could be as early as two weeks after the initial exposure. However, some cases show no signs at all. For this reason, the only way to determine whether a person is a carrier or not is to undergo an HIV test. Otherwise, the transmission will be tremendous if the infection is unknown.