Clinical Features

There are no clinical features specific to HIV infection

In early HIV infection, patients are often asymptomatic.

Incubation period: usually 2–4 weeks [12]

Infectiousness: two peaks (1st peak: within the first months after infection; 2nd peak: during AIDS-stage)

Also referred to as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) or described as a mononucleosis-like syndrome

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Myalgia and arthralgia

• Headache

• Generalized nontender lymphadenopathy

• Generalized rash

• Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, diarrhea, weight loss)

• Oropharyngeal symptoms (sore throat, ulcerations, painful swallowing)

Clinical latency: Infected individuals may still be asymptomatic.

Non-AIDS-defining conditions (common when CD4+ count is below 500 cells/mm3)

• Chronic subfebrile temperatures

• Persistent generalized lymphadenopathy

• Chronic diarrhea (> 1 month)

• Localized opportunistic infections

  • Oral candidiasis: creamy, white patches on the mucous membranes of the mouth that can be scraped off

  • Vaginal infections (e.g., yeast, trichomonads)

• Oral hairy leukoplakia: lesions that cannot be scraped off located mainly on the lateral borders of the tongue; triggered by Epstein-Barr virus

• HPV-related: squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (common in men who have sex with men) or cervix

• Skin manifestations (e.g. molluscum contagiosum, warts, exacerbations of psoriasis, shingles)