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HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
HIV Infection - Test - Symptoms
Answered by
Edward W Hook, MD - HIV Prevention, stds
HIV Infection - Test - Symptoms
by daeumling, Nov 07, 2009 06:55PM
Hello,
I will not tell the risk of my exposure, in order for you to entirely focus on my symptoms please.
Exactly 28 days after contact I developed a soar throat with fever (38 degrees celc.). In addition I developed dry cough. Fever and soar throat went away after 2 days. After that I had BAD muscle and joint pain as never experienced by me ever before. That lasted for ~8 days. 2 days after fever was gone the dry cough changed into a really really bad cough and badly running nose as I didn't have it for the past 5 years or so. Then the cough became liquid and I could cough it out (still do). One week after first symptoms (5weeks after contact) I noticed first skin rash. They appear randomly anywhere on my body as a single object (hives). They are itchy for the first 15min and disappear after ~2hours. Since then I observe one of those single rashes once every day. 2 weeks after first symptom (6weeks after contact) I now have NO appetite. If I see food I feel like vomiting (didn't happen yet though). Haven't eaten properly for one week now, thus lost ~2.5 kg so far. My intestine (not stomach) is totally up side down and makes me uncomfortable all day. Today it is exactly 7 weeks after contact. Today I noticed brown spots on my penis (skin and underneath skin). I also observed one wart-like object on my penis (herpes? no pain,no itch).
I had negative antibody test 6 weeks and 4 days after contact. (2.5 weeks after first symptoms)
1. Are my symptoms typical for acute HIV infection?
2. Is seroconversion the time of first symptom or when symptoms have disappeared?
3. Does antibody test make sense while seroconversion symptoms are still present? Or only after symptoms have disappeared? I clearly still have symptoms.
4. Does antibody test recognize antibodies at time of seroconversion or some time after seroconversion?
5. I don't use drugs or any medicine. Is negative after 6.5 weeks promising or totally meaningless?
Thank you so much for your time.
Best wishes
I will not tell the risk of my exposure, in order for you to entirely focus on my symptoms please.
Exactly 28 days after contact I developed a soar throat with fever (38 degrees celc.). In addition I developed dry cough. Fever and soar throat went away after 2 days. After that I had BAD muscle and joint pain as never experienced by me ever before. That lasted for ~8 days. 2 days after fever was gone the dry cough changed into a really really bad cough and badly running nose as I didn't have it for the past 5 years or so. Then the cough became liquid and I could cough it out (still do). One week after first symptoms (5weeks after contact) I noticed first skin rash. They appear randomly anywhere on my body as a single object (hives). They are itchy for the first 15min and disappear after ~2hours. Since then I observe one of those single rashes once every day. 2 weeks after first symptom (6weeks after contact) I now have NO appetite. If I see food I feel like vomiting (didn't happen yet though). Haven't eaten properly for one week now, thus lost ~2.5 kg so far. My intestine (not stomach) is totally up side down and makes me uncomfortable all day. Today it is exactly 7 weeks after contact. Today I noticed brown spots on my penis (skin and underneath skin). I also observed one wart-like object on my penis (herpes? no pain,no itch).
I had negative antibody test 6 weeks and 4 days after contact. (2.5 weeks after first symptoms)
1. Are my symptoms typical for acute HIV infection?
2. Is seroconversion the time of first symptom or when symptoms have disappeared?
3. Does antibody test make sense while seroconversion symptoms are still present? Or only after symptoms have disappeared? I clearly still have symptoms.
4. Does antibody test recognize antibodies at time of seroconversion or some time after seroconversion?
5. I don't use drugs or any medicine. Is negative after 6.5 weeks promising or totally meaningless?
Thank you so much for your time.
Best wishes
Doctor's Answer
by Edward W Hook, MD, Nov 07, 2009 09:50PM
, Nov 07, 2009 09:50PM
Welcome to the Forum. I'm afraid you misunderstand the nature of this forum. Our answers are provided in the context of our client's history. We do not play games with "guess what my exposure was". I will directly answer the questions you have asked.
As far as your symptoms are concerned however, you have seemed to missed our repeated statements that the symptoms of the ARS and early HIV infection are TOTALLY non-specific and when people experience "ARS symptoms" they are much more likely to have something else, usually some other, more typical virus infection. this is particularly true at this time when the entire world is in the midst of a pandemic of influenza. When this has been studied in the US, less than 1% of persons seeking medical care for "ARS symptoms" are found to have HIV, the remainder having symptoms due to other processes. In contrast, over a given year, there is almost no one who has not had a viral illness, night sweats or both (sometimes on multiple occasions). In addition, it is also important to realize that many persons who acquire HIV do not experience the ARS. For a person to try to judge their HIV risk based on "ARS symptoms" is a waste of time. Now for your questions:
1. See above
2. Neither. The ARS occurs at a time when antibodies to HIV are rapidly increasing and there are high concentrations of circulating virus in the blood.
3. Antibody testing should not be guided by symptoms but by time since exposure. By 4 weeks following exposure over 90% of persons who have acquired HIV have positive tests and at 8 weeks virtually everyone who is going to have a positve test does.
5. This is repetitive question,. See above
6.A negative test at 6.5 weeks makes if very unlikely that you have acquired HIV
EWH
As far as your symptoms are concerned however, you have seemed to missed our repeated statements that the symptoms of the ARS and early HIV infection are TOTALLY non-specific and when people experience "ARS symptoms" they are much more likely to have something else, usually some other, more typical virus infection. this is particularly true at this time when the entire world is in the midst of a pandemic of influenza. When this has been studied in the US, less than 1% of persons seeking medical care for "ARS symptoms" are found to have HIV, the remainder having symptoms due to other processes. In contrast, over a given year, there is almost no one who has not had a viral illness, night sweats or both (sometimes on multiple occasions). In addition, it is also important to realize that many persons who acquire HIV do not experience the ARS. For a person to try to judge their HIV risk based on "ARS symptoms" is a waste of time. Now for your questions:
1. See above
2. Neither. The ARS occurs at a time when antibodies to HIV are rapidly increasing and there are high concentrations of circulating virus in the blood.
3. Antibody testing should not be guided by symptoms but by time since exposure. By 4 weeks following exposure over 90% of persons who have acquired HIV have positive tests and at 8 weeks virtually everyone who is going to have a positve test does.
5. This is repetitive question,. See above
6.A negative test at 6.5 weeks makes if very unlikely that you have acquired HIV
EWH
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I also want to mention that since the time after fever my entire body is itchy. Especially my HANDS and fingers feel itchy all day, until today. I also experience increased muscle twitches everywhere on my body, night and day.
Thank you for considering those details.
Humm you come here for help?? Your SYMPTOMS dont mean anything when it comes to HIV.. Only a test at three MONTHS after an exposure will tell you your status....