Warts caused by the human papillomavirus may appear anywhere on the skin and most commonly on the genitals. When CD 4 cells fall below 100, the infected person experiences very unpleasant skin reactions.
Less commonly, ulcers on the mouth and genitals may be associated with the newly diagnosed HIV infection.
When symptoms do occur around 2 to 8 weeks after infection, the person may feel fatigued.
Weight loss and HIV related illnesses
At this stage, the infected person may experience weight loss due to a loss in appetite. This is however more common in the later stages of HIV. Unexplained weight loss may be due to many diseases and a doctor should be contacted if significant weight loss occurs.
Nausea and diarrhoea may also develop shortly after becoming infected. This may be confused with flu or other infections. It generally disappears after a few weeks.
Swollen lymph nodes are a common symptom. After other symptoms have disappeared, the lymph nodes remain enlarged. They are small, painless lumps, visible in the neck, under the arms or in the groin. Once this is noticed, a doctor should be notified, and proper blood tests taken.
The next stage of HIV infection is clinical latency, a period that may extend for several years, where the infected person does not experience symptoms. The presence of the infection is evident through a blood test.
What follows is early stage AIDS which occurs when the body’s immune system is compromised enough to be susceptible to some mild bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Mild symptoms such as skin rashes, fatigue, headaches, night sweats, slight weight loss, fungal skin and nail infections are experienced.
Increased severity of infection
The middle stage of AIDS is characterised by an increase in the severity of infections. Symptoms include: herpes infection of the mouth and genitals (cold sores), diarrhoea, more dramatic weight loss and persistent fevers. Fungal infections of the mouth or vagina called thrush, are also common.