HIV/Aids is one of the most feared diseases. IFWT wanted to make sure you remembered to get yourself tested to make sure that you are HIV/Aids free… Hit the jump to read up on some of the signs and symptoms but most importantly don’t forget to stay protected!! Staying protected is the only full proof way to make sure that you don’t get infected!

Some people experience signs and symptoms of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), as soon as they become infected, while others do not. When they occur, early signs and symptoms are often mistaken for the flu or a mild viral infection. Initial signs and symptoms of HIV include:
Fever
Headache
Tiredness
Nausea
Diarrhea
Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin

Any symptoms from becoming infected typically resolve in one to four weeks.

As you can see, the signs and symptoms of HIV infection are similar to those for many different viral infections. The only way to know for sure if you are infected with HIV is to be tested. Many people infected with HIV do not have any signs and symptoms at all for many years.

Later Signs and Symptoms of HIV/AIDS:
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the following signs and symptoms may be warning signs of late-stage HIV infection:
rapid weight loss
dry cough
recurring fever or profuse night sweats
profound and unexplained fatigue
swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
diarrhea lasting more than a week
white spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat
pneumonia
red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
memory loss, depression, and other neurological disorders
HIV destroys the white blood cells that are required to fight infection. As the white cell count falls to dangerous levels, numerous infections and diseases emerge. It is at this point that a person is said to have AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
According to the CDC, as with an initial HIV infection, you cannot rely on these signs and symptoms to establish a diagnosis of AIDS. The symptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of many other illnesses. AIDS is a medical diagnosis made by a healthcare professional based on specific criteria established by the CDC.

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* Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
* This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors.
* The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms tends to be much longer, allowing more opportunities for these microorganisms to be transmitted to other hosts. The period between infection and the appearance of AIDS can take from 7 to 12 years.
* AIDS is now a pandemic. In 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and it killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children.

History:

* Genetic research indicates that HIV originated in west-central Africa during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

* AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1981 and its cause, HIV, identified in the early 1980s.

* The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of conditions that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems
* Most of these conditions are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that are normally controlled by the elements of the immune system that HIV damages.
* A person may remain asymptomatic, feel, and appear healthy for even years even though he or she is infected with HIV. While he or she does not exhibit AIDS, the immune system starts to be impaired.
* The person may exhibit neurological symptoms such as memory loss, altered gait, depression, sleep disorders or chronic diarrhea.
* This set of symptoms is often called AIDS-related Complex (ARC) by clinicians. As the symptom progress, the patient becomes an AIDS patient.

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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.