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Are Nausea, Fever, Night Sweats And Body Pain Symptoms Of HIV?
Question: I have a question mostly for knowledge as i know you wont be able to give me a diagnosis.
16 days ago. I had unprotected sex with a stripper (stupid i know) and 3 days after got a sore throat. 11 days ago i had sex with my girlfriend. She got vey very sick with nausea, fever, night sweats, achy joints and an actuve cough 3 days later. Her symptoms have continued abd my sore thriat has continued and wirsened for the last 8 days. We have both gotten tested hiv and will recieve results next week. We both tested negative for influenza but it was a wuick test.
My question is this. Is it possible to have ARS or early HIV symptoms 3 days after infection?
16 days ago. I had unprotected sex with a stripper (stupid i know) and 3 days after got a sore throat. 11 days ago i had sex with my girlfriend. She got vey very sick with nausea, fever, night sweats, achy joints and an actuve cough 3 days later. Her symptoms have continued abd my sore thriat has continued and wirsened for the last 8 days. We have both gotten tested hiv and will recieve results next week. We both tested negative for influenza but it was a wuick test.
My question is this. Is it possible to have ARS or early HIV symptoms 3 days after infection?
Brief Answer:
ARS never occurs within 3 days after HIV infection.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for posting your query to the forum.
I can understand your concern for the possibility of HIV after the incidence.
After analyzing the complete query with diligence let me reassure you first that overall there is no possibility of getting ARS within 3 days of unprotected sex. Basically the ARS symptoms actually never appear before 2 weeks. It is basically due to the fact that in case if hiv viruses enters the body then it takes minimum of 2 weeks to 6 weeks for the viruses to evoke a host response in form of ARS.
It is also not possible that everyone would get ARS. In yourself as well as your girlfriend it is just a seasonal flu only. The symptoms actually appears to be related to same.
For the part of HIV testing : it should actually be done after 3 months of exposure to get proper results. Take guidance regarding the time period of getting hiv testing.
Always use a protection and have safer sex practice.
With good health wishes,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD - DERMATOLOGY & Sexually transmitted diseases
ARS never occurs within 3 days after HIV infection.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for posting your query to the forum.
I can understand your concern for the possibility of HIV after the incidence.
After analyzing the complete query with diligence let me reassure you first that overall there is no possibility of getting ARS within 3 days of unprotected sex. Basically the ARS symptoms actually never appear before 2 weeks. It is basically due to the fact that in case if hiv viruses enters the body then it takes minimum of 2 weeks to 6 weeks for the viruses to evoke a host response in form of ARS.
It is also not possible that everyone would get ARS. In yourself as well as your girlfriend it is just a seasonal flu only. The symptoms actually appears to be related to same.
For the part of HIV testing : it should actually be done after 3 months of exposure to get proper results. Take guidance regarding the time period of getting hiv testing.
Always use a protection and have safer sex practice.
With good health wishes,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD - DERMATOLOGY & Sexually transmitted diseases
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Thanks so much for the kind relply. I will. Follow up
This is what made me uncertain. Some studies and literature have ARS possible at days to a week after exposure.
One example:
http://mobile.aidsmap.com/Primary-infection/page/0000
See pic for the paragraph...
Why does some literature have such a large variation?
Also, my girlfruend has many more symptoms tgan me as mine are almost exclusively a sore throat....she has almost all the ARS symtopms losted but the rash.
Both of our synotoms lasted longervthan a
Week now and quick influenza test was negative
?
This is what made me uncertain. Some studies and literature have ARS possible at days to a week after exposure.
One example:
http://mobile.aidsmap.com/Primary-infection/page/0000
See pic for the paragraph...
Why does some literature have such a large variation?
Also, my girlfruend has many more symptoms tgan me as mine are almost exclusively a sore throat....she has almost all the ARS symtopms losted but the rash.
Both of our synotoms lasted longervthan a
Week now and quick influenza test was negative
?
Brief Answer:
ARS : various important information.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks for your further follow up.
I very often counsel your kind of cases where people are very much anxious about ARS symptoms. As per best of academic as well as clinical knowledge and experience, I have never seen any case of HIV getting ARS within 3rd or 4th day of exposure. ARS follows a typical pattern of symptoms when the immune system of infected person releases antibodies which mounts various set of clinical symptoms. These antibodies are actually detected through the various tests.
We counsel the patients to go for the hiv antibody testing never before 6 weeks. It is due to the same fact that the serconversion takes minimum of 6 weeks. It takes maximum of 3 moths for the same and therefore in our routine testing we recommend one test at 6 weeks and the other at 3 months for confirmation.
The Internet is full of information of all types. The most authentic information is actually through CDC or WHO guidelines. You can go through the same and get the most reliable information.
For the part of negative flu testing '- we can't detect each type of flu with testing. In my own view it is illogical to test for flu. In my own clinical experience your kind of symptoms are very commonly seen in simple viral fevers.
So relax from the part of ARS.
I hope this helps.
With regards,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
ARS : various important information.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks for your further follow up.
I very often counsel your kind of cases where people are very much anxious about ARS symptoms. As per best of academic as well as clinical knowledge and experience, I have never seen any case of HIV getting ARS within 3rd or 4th day of exposure. ARS follows a typical pattern of symptoms when the immune system of infected person releases antibodies which mounts various set of clinical symptoms. These antibodies are actually detected through the various tests.
We counsel the patients to go for the hiv antibody testing never before 6 weeks. It is due to the same fact that the serconversion takes minimum of 6 weeks. It takes maximum of 3 moths for the same and therefore in our routine testing we recommend one test at 6 weeks and the other at 3 months for confirmation.
The Internet is full of information of all types. The most authentic information is actually through CDC or WHO guidelines. You can go through the same and get the most reliable information.
For the part of negative flu testing '- we can't detect each type of flu with testing. In my own view it is illogical to test for flu. In my own clinical experience your kind of symptoms are very commonly seen in simple viral fevers.
So relax from the part of ARS.
I hope this helps.
With regards,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Ok so i found this from the cdc. Very confused
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/prep_gl_patient_factsheet_acute_hiv_infection_english.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/prep_gl_patient_factsheet_acute_hiv_infection_english.pdf
Brief Answer:
Further information ARS and CDC.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks for your further follow up.
I can understand your part of concern and accordingly trying to get the best possible information. I have gone through the information sheet as well as the link you have provided. It is a simplified version of the information sheet for patients. The typical part of "Few days" never means as early as three days. It is basically after multiple days of exposure. In my own clinical experience with HIV patients I have observed this period to be not less than 2 weeks.
I also provide a link from CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html
I request you to please go through the link where it is specifically written as "2 to 4 weeks". You read the complete details where it is also written "If you have these symptoms, that doesn’t mean you have HIV. Each of these symptoms can be caused by other illnesses".
Over and above of all I basically reassure on part of my best of clinical experience that ARS symptoms never occurs so early.
With good health wishes,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD - Dermatology & Sexually transmitted diseases
Further information ARS and CDC.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks for your further follow up.
I can understand your part of concern and accordingly trying to get the best possible information. I have gone through the information sheet as well as the link you have provided. It is a simplified version of the information sheet for patients. The typical part of "Few days" never means as early as three days. It is basically after multiple days of exposure. In my own clinical experience with HIV patients I have observed this period to be not less than 2 weeks.
I also provide a link from CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html
I request you to please go through the link where it is specifically written as "2 to 4 weeks". You read the complete details where it is also written "If you have these symptoms, that doesn’t mean you have HIV. Each of these symptoms can be caused by other illnesses".
Over and above of all I basically reassure on part of my best of clinical experience that ARS symptoms never occurs so early.
With good health wishes,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD - Dermatology & Sexually transmitted diseases
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thabk you. My only stmptoms at this pount us joint pain and sore throat. Shes added crackle when breathing and pnemonia like symptoms to hers
Brief Answer:
Take your girl friend to a general care physician.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks a lot for your swift response.
I understand your part of concern for the whole events and simultaneously any correlation with HIV. I quite often counsel your kind of problem and most of the times the person correlates even a simple change or symptom with HIV. But as I said earlier that HIV is not the only cause of such kind symptoms. There are so many different types of causes of the same.
I suggest you to take your girl fried to a general care physician and get her analyzed properly for causes other than HIV.
Just relax yourself and get tested at a proper time.
My good health wishes to you.
With regards,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
Take your girl friend to a general care physician.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks a lot for your swift response.
I understand your part of concern for the whole events and simultaneously any correlation with HIV. I quite often counsel your kind of problem and most of the times the person correlates even a simple change or symptom with HIV. But as I said earlier that HIV is not the only cause of such kind symptoms. There are so many different types of causes of the same.
I suggest you to take your girl fried to a general care physician and get her analyzed properly for causes other than HIV.
Just relax yourself and get tested at a proper time.
My good health wishes to you.
With regards,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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