The symptoms of HIV that occur in men and women can be different. Therefore, identify the characteristics so that you are more alert to the symptoms of HIV that can appear.
HIV Early Symptoms in Men – HIV is a virus that works by damaging the immune system. Unlike other viruses that can be fought with the immune system, HIV cannot be eliminated by the regular immune system.
The symptoms can vary greatly in each sufferer. No two people with HIV experience the exact same symptoms. However, HIV will generally follow a pattern that begins with the emergence of acute disease, then there is a healthy period where there are no symptoms and reappears into further infection.
HIV Early Symptoms in Men
In males, the initial symptoms of HIV are usually not specific. Early symptoms are usually unbearable and are often mistaken for flu or other mild conditions. People can easily underestimate them or miscalculate them for mild health conditions.
Men may experience flu-like symptoms a few days to several weeks after contracting the virus, which may include:
Fever
At this stage, the virus moves into the bloodstream and begins to replicate itself in large numbers. When that happens, the immune system is triggering an inflammatory reaction, hence the symptoms of HIV in the form of this fever.
This is the first symptom of HIV, which is accompanied by other HIV symptoms such as fatigue, swelling of the lymph nodes, and sore throat.
Fatigue
When the HIV virus surrounds the immune system, there is an inflammatory response that is occurring. This phase is what makes sufferers sometimes feel weak, tired, lethargic, and until it seems like losing breath. Fatigue can also be an early symptom of HIV.
- Headache
- Skin rash
- Sore throat
At this stage, a person will have a large amount of virus in his bloodstream, which means it is easy to transmit it.
In addition to flu-like symptoms, some men may also experience more severe symptoms early on, such as:
- Dementia
- Weight loss
- Fatigue (prolonged fatigue).
Less common early HIV symptoms include:
Lymph Node, Joint, and Muscle Pain
HIV that attacks the body will begin to decrease the immune system or immunity. Pain occurs in the joints, muscles, and lymph nodes. Because the lymph nodes are part of the immune system.
Most likely to experience inflammation and swelling during infection. Until finally there is a pain in the armpits, groin, and neck.
- Ulcers in the mouth
- Ulcers on the genitals
- Night sweats
- Nausea or vomiting
Men may underestimate the initial symptoms and delay seeing a doctor until the symptoms worsen, by which time the infection may have developed.
The fact that some men do not seek timely treatment may be the cause of this virus affecting men more severely than women.
Asymptomatic period
In addition, not everyone feels symptoms of HIV when they start to become infected. In fact, many of them begin to show symptoms after 10 years of infection and worse, they are unaware of the presence of the disease that has long attacked.
Other infections
For those who have a weak immune system, it is easy for other disease / viruses to enter the body. So, it is not surprising that many people with HIV are prone to disease and do not recover. Because, their immune system is no longer able to fortify their health.
These initial symptoms can last one to two weeks. Delaying seeing a doctor until symptoms worsen, will make the infection may have continued.
As for people with HIV who regularly take retroviral drugs in the early period. Making it last for decades, so that the life span of the sufferer can last as usual.
Read also:
Management of HIV/AIDS
