Acute HIV infection Health Article

Signs and tests

• Blood differential may show abnormalities.
• HIV ELISA/Western blot is usually negative or undetermined during the acute infection and will become positive over the next 3 months.
• HIV RNA viral load is positive in patients with acute HIV infection.
• Lower than normal CD4 count may indicate suppression of the immune system. The CD4 count usually improves 1 - 2 months after acute infection.
• P24 antigen blood test is often positive.

Treatment

People with HIV infection need to be educated about the disease and its treatment so they can be active partners in making decisions with their health care provider.

There is still controversy about whether aggressive early treatment of HIV infection with HIV medications will slow the progression of disease. You should discuss this option with your health care provider.

Follow these healthy practices in the early stages of HIV infection:

• Avoid exposure to people with acute infectious illnesses.
• Avoid settings and situations that could lead to depression. Maintain positive social contacts, hobbies, interests, and pets.
• Eat a nutritious diet with enough calories.
• Get enough exercise, but don't wear yourself out.
• Keep stress to a minimum.
• Practice safer sex. The disease is highly transmissible, especially in the first months after infection.

Support Groups

You can often reduce the stress of illness by joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems. See AIDS - support group.

Expectations (prognosis)

HIV is a long-term medical condition that can be treated but not yet cured. There are effective means of preventing complications and delaying (but not preventing) progression to AIDS. At the present time, not all cases of HIV have progressed to AIDS, but time has shown that the vast majority do.

Complications

• AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
• Autoimmune diseases
• Cancers, typically Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphomas
• Opportunistic infections (unlikely to occur in early stages of HIV disease)
  • Bacillary angiomatosis
  • Candidiasis
  • Cryptosporidium or other protozoal enterocolitis
  • Cytomegalovirus infection
  • Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
  • Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)
  • Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
  • Salmonella infection of the bloodstream
  • Toxoplasmosis
  • Tuberculosis