What are the symptoms and signs of both hiv and also aids

Not Medical Advice: AIDS is the more advanced stage of HIV infection. Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

HIV infection comes in three stages. The first stage (the symptoms of HIV/AIDS) is called acute infection or seroconversion, and it usually happens within 2-6 weeks after exposure or becoming infected. The initial symptoms of acute HIV infection may include:

• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Aching muscles
• Sore throat
• Red rash that doesn't itch, usually on the torso
• Fever

The second stage (the period without symptoms of HIV) - during this period HIV is slowly killing the CD4 T-cells and destroying the immune system. Normally, a person has a CD4 T-cell count between 450 and 1,400 cells per microliter. The number of CD4 T-cells steadily drops in an HIV-infected person, making them susceptible to other infections and in danger of acquiring AIDS.

The third stage (HIV Infection and AIDS) - people are diagnosed with AIDS when the CD4 T-cell number drops below 200. Some only discover their HIV infection after experiencing some of these HIV-related symptoms:

• Being tired all of the time
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Fever lasting for more than 10 days
• Night sweats
• Unexplained weight loss
• Purplish spots on the skin that don't go away
• Shortness of breath
• Severe, long-lasting diarrhea
• Yeast infections
• Easy bruising or unexplained bleeding

For more info, go to WebMD’s HIV and AIDS Health Center and learn facts about HIV/AIDS, how is it diagnosed, tested and treated.

Federal health officials recommend that hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk for AIDS take a daily pill that has been shown to prevent infection from the virus that causes it. If broadly followed, the advice could transform AIDS prevention in the United States. Read more at the Boston Globe.