Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

HIV rash and primary infection

HI, I was just wondering would a rash occuring in the primary stage of hiv infection occur on the top of hands and arms and would it come and go? And what would it generally look like? are there any other std's that have symptoms that relate to the ones of hiv?
18 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hi
I had sex 5 weeks ago with a prostitute. i used condom. But now after 5 weeks I got these rashes on my body, and all these rashes just appear in like 6 hours and they are now almost on all of my body, except face.can Any one  please tell me if this could be HIV related rashes, The ashes are etchy and the more i rub the more they get worse, some of the rashes are grown to a size of a quarter. I dnt have no fever or soar throat.

appreciate that.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I had unprotected sex about six weeks ago. I had fever with temperature of 37.5 deg centigrade. I had a painless mouth ulcer for about three days. I now see two spot of black patches one on my hand and the second on my back. The collar region of my collar tends to be painful. Please could this be symptom of HIV. In addition I have little body itching.  I have been tested negative to HIV with rapid test device but I learnt that the test is not yet conclusive.
Avatar universal
Please start a thread dedicated to your question and don't post on someone eles thread.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I also had unprotected encounter 2 months ago then i developed rashes on my arms and legs 2 weeks ago. It is quite itchy and looks reddish and swelling when I sratch it but it stops itching for a while and somehow vanish but then will start itching again. I do not have fever or sore throat though. Would apprecaite if any one could please tell me if this is HIV.
Helpful - 0
948349 tn?1294380237
Hi Nadia... I think Woman to woman contact doesn't happen. If you two just have sex with women I think you can keep yourself std free.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi my name is Nadia Hi i was wondering if you could tell me about one thing. A month ago a had an unprotected sex with a girl. After 10 days i saw under my neck a red spot. But i hadn't a fever and any hiv symptoms. Please help me. Is that look like HIV primary infection
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Don't bring up old posts.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hey Strata, similar case on my behalf, I have had occasional rashes on the buttocks, forearms, side of stomach, tingling and occasional itching in the feet and hands, occasional tingling in the genitalia area, and some redness on the penile shaft. The penile shaft redness almost looked like bumps but it went away after 36 hours or so and wasnt really painful or anything. Also, very mildly swollen neck glands and armpit glands. Most of the rashes will come and go after only 5-20 minutes, and the most prominent one was on my buttocks (both sides) yesterday. These symptoms have persisted for about 3 days now. I checked my temp today and it was 99.6 F. Occasional pressure in my lower abdomen as well for unknown reasons. Mild fatigue and i feel somewhat achy in my muscles as well. These symptoms occurred two other times, one was 2 days after my unprotected sex encounter (vaginal insertion two times for about 5-8 minutes each time. The other was about 3 1/2 weeks after my unprotected encounter. The last time was just a few days ago (this being about 7 1/2 weeks post encounter). Got tested at 1 week for everything, came back negative, tested at 5 1/2 weeks for everything except HIV this time and all came back negative. My main concern is HIV at this time. Do these symptoms sound like HIV? The girl (white 21 year old female from college) told me she was clean and the only clue i can use that she gave is that she said she did get iritis one time from doing too much tanning, she also drinks and parties a lot. I know iritis can be caused by systemic illnesses but i'm not sure if i should go by that. Kinda stressed about it all and going to go get tested in a week, but it seems like u really know your stuff strata so any opinion on it would be greatly appreciated.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Rash due to HIV-related ARS does not occur alone. It would be accompanied by other, serious "flu-like" symptoms, notably fever, fatigue (like when you have the flu), and lymphadenopathy.

All of the symptoms together will last from a few days to 2 weeks. They do not 'come and go'.

HIV-related ARS rash is concentrated on the upper torso, neck, and face, and tends to be non-itchy. It looks very similar to other viral rashes (e.g., measles, rubella) and to a drug-interaction rash. More rarely, it can also involve the palms and peeling skin.

http://www1.lf1.cuni.cz/~hrozs/skin/primo3mi.JPG
http://www1.lf1.cuni.cz/~hrozs/skin/prtrup3mi.JPG

Bottom line: NO symptoms are a definite indicator of HIV. However, if you are experiencing a rash that 'comes and goes' and is concentrated on your extremities (arms/legs), and you have no other symptoms of illness, you can be confident that it is not related to HIV.

Rash is also associated with secondary (2nd stage)syphilis. This would indicate a long-standing (2+ years) of infection with syphilis.

http://depts.washington.edu/nnptc/online_training/std_handbook/gallery/images/syphilisrash.jpg

Overall, excema seems like a more likely source, based on what I could glean from your description. See your PCP or a dermatologist for proper diagnosis.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi kekelow.

Can you please give some more explanation on the rash because some people said the rash appears on the upper torso. more exactly how the rash looks like?

Actually, i have some spots on my back (brownish) which i believe are due to back acne. I had the spots even before my first sex encounter and till now they are still on my back and the spots don't look like they will fade away very easily.

How the hiv looks like? anyone has an idea?

thanks.
god bless















Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Lotus some people say the rash is alot of  small bumps cluttered together. If you had protected sex bottom line you had no risks. Go to aidsmeds.com and post they will tell you the same. Some of the people over ther have hiv and they will anwser all your quistions.Peace.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks strata. That was very informative.

I did not have any rash on my upper torso, neck, face, arms, legs, thighs. It's only on the back. Sometimes i get 1 or 2 pimples on the chest, but they go after 1 or 2 days.

Thanks again.
God bless.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Lotus, when i say risks, i mean what behavier did you do to think you've been exposed to hiv? now that you told me you had protected sex there wasn't a risks. All those symptoms are just in your head, Fear and Aneixty can casues these symptoms. You Were SAFE.Peace.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's been 2-4 weeks do you at least know what the rash would look like
?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Lotus, the rash would noramally come in about 2-4 weeks after exposer. It normally appears on the back and stomach i belive, but in your case the ARS rash WOULDN'T APPEARE ANY WHERE, BEAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE A RISKS. I DON'T HAVE HIV AND A RASH APPEARED ON MY HAND A FEW WEEKS AGO.NOW LISTEN YOUR JUST FREAKING OUT, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE PERSON HAS HIV. IF SOMETHING MAKES YOU UNCOMTABLE TO THE POINT TO WORRY A RASH ON TO YOUR HAND IT'S REAL SIMPLE DON'T DO IT. SEE NOW YOUR WORRYING YOUR SELF FOR NOTTING, AND I SURREGEST YOU STOP, BECAUSE YOU WILL FALL DEEPER IN THE PITS OF WORRIED WELL HELL FOR NOTTING. YOUR MIND IS JUST PLAYING TRICKS ON YOU AND WORRYING CAN CAUSE US TO BREAK OUT IN RASH. MY FACE BROKE OUT IN A RASH FOR WORRYING ABOUT GETTING HIV FROM SOME DROPS OF BLOOD ON A TIOLET AND FROM A DROP OF BLOOD ON A FLOOR.NOW YOU SEE STOP YOU HAD PROTECTED SEX DON'T LET HIV FEAR TRICK YOUR MIND LIKE IT DOES ALOT OF US ON HERE. YOU WERE SAFE PERIOD.PEACE.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
what do you mean by risks?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've had so many of the symptoms of the early stage of hiv
I'm very worried if I do come up positive I will be a little confused beacuse I did use protection each time
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just was with someone who had hiv about a month ago but we used protection each time
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Lotus boy, what was your RISKS?
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community

Top HIV Answerers
366749 tn?1544695265
Karachi, Pakistan
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.