What are the main signs and symptoms of human immunodeficiency virus?

    Last Updated: October 25, 2023

    Two to 4 weeks after becoming infected, a person develops a flu-like illness. Often the symptoms are mild or are ascribed to a harmless virus and are ignored. Symptoms might include the following: [1]

    • Fever
    • Headache
    • Body aches
    • Fatigue
    • Mouth ulcers
    • Swollen glands
    • Skin rash

    The virus replicates slowly, destroying white blood cells and making the immune system weaker. This process can last for up to 10 years and may not cause any symptoms.

    Eventually, when the immune system has suffered severe damage, HIV leads to the development of AIDS. AIDS typically manifests with the onset of unusual cancers such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and certain types of lymphoma or by infection with organisms that take advantage of a weakened immune system, called opportunistic infections (OIs). Common OIs include the following: [2]

    • Candida
    • Herpes simplex
    • Tuberculosis
    • Certain types of pneumonia and meningitis

    References