worried and confused hiv symptons

Hi there,

Is it possible for hiv symptons to appear after about 6 months and appear agressivly and continually.

Im a 30 year old mail and my exposure lasted about 6 to 8 minutes. I am male. It happened in jamaica with a girl of unknown hiv status...she said she was negative....

Approximatly 5.5 months later i got a cold for about 2 days....and about 3 weeks after this got a redness in the throat and back of mouth area that has not gone away after 3 months. Sometimes my muscles are sore but this could be the football, squash, and running i do every week...maybe...i went to the doctor and he thought it might be an allergic reaction buts the medication did not work...i am waiting on the results of a throat culture....i work in construction, on a particurly dusty site...the doctor said the redness could be caused by post nasal drip as a result of the dust...anyway im worried too hell and scared....

My questions are as follow

1 Do symptons show up after 6 months...how many people get symptons...is there any facts on single exposure transmission rates...

2 what was my exposure risk assuming she was hiv...

Some sites on the net say yes to symptons after 6 months and that they are continous as in one after the other...while other say the opposite...sooooo confused....

Thanks in advance for the reply....

Worried.....

[Dr Sean Cummings]

Good Morning

I've repeated your main questions beneath and added my comments in CAPITALS for ease.

1 Do symptons show up after 6 months...how many people get symptons...is there any facts on single exposure transmission rates...

THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL IF INFECTED WITH HIV DEVELOP SYMPTOMS WITHIN 2 TO 4 WEEKS AFTER EXPOSURE. IN OUR CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WHERE WE SEE MANY NEW HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE THEY WILL GENERALLY DEVELP SYMPTOMS IN THIS TIME FRAME AND AROUND 70% OF PEOPLE ARE SAID TO DEVELOP SYMPTOMS SUGGESTIVE OF ACUTE HIV INFECTION - THESE ARE VERY SORE THROAT, VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE AND A WHOLE BODY RASH - USUALLY TOGETHER.

SYMPTOMS AFTER AN INTERVAL OF SIX MONTHS ARE UNUSUAL AND I'M AFRAID ALTHOUGH YOU DESCRIBE THEM AS SEVERE I THINK THE ONES YOU DESCRIBE ARE INCONSEQUENTIAL.

2 what was my exposure risk assuming she was hiv...

FOR AN "AVERAGE" HIV INFECTED FEMALE WHO IS PENETRATED BY A NON INFECTED MALE THEN THE CHANCES ARE OFTHE ORER OF 1 IN 1200 TO 1 IN 1500 PER EPISODE. YOU'LL APPRECIATE THAT DEFINING AN "AVERAGE" HIV INFECTED PERSON IS DIFFICULT BUT IN GENERAL IT MEANS THE FOLLOWING - THAT THE PERSON HAS BEEN INFECTED FOR A PERIOD OF GREATER THAN 3 TO 4 MONTHS; THAT THE VIRAL LOAD, THE AMOUNT OF VIRUS IN THAT PERSON'S BLOOD STREAM HAS FALLEN TO ITS "SET POINT" = IS USUALLY OF THE ORDER OF SAY BETWEEN 10,000 AND 70,000 COPIES OF VIRUS IN EACH ML OF BLOOD AND THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL HAS NO OTHER STD'S OR GENITAL ULCER DISEASE.

Some sites on the net say yes to symptons after 6 months and that they are continous as in one after the other...while other say the opposite...sooooo confused....

YES CERTAINLY SYMPTOMS MAY OCCUR AFTER SIX MONTHS BUT HAVING PRIMARY SYMPTOMS - THAT IS THE FIRST SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE AT THAT POINT IS MOST UNUSUAL AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN IT EXCEPT IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF THE EPIDEMIC WHEN PEOPLE WERE PRESENTING VERY LATE ON IN THEIR ILLNESS AND WERE DYING RAPIDLY. LUCKILY IN THE WESTERN WORLD THAT SCENARIO IS RARE NOW.

I hope all of that helped. best wishes, Sean

[blueeyeboy30]

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the reply....

So just a small question on the above....are you saying that it is mostly likely something else...i will still be getting tested but its still nagging me although your answer is great...at least its a straight up answer.

Also...do hiv symptons keep ocurring...as in in the early stages you will have some kind of sympton from 1 week to the next!

Again thanks for the answer to my first question,

Take care and all the best,

D!