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Most people get some mild symptoms about two weeks to four weeks after they get infected with HIV. More serious symptoms usually don't happen for around 10 years.

You can easily miss the early symptoms because they're like the symptoms you get with other virus infections, such as the flu. Once the early symptoms have cleared up, most people don't have any other signs of infections for many years. So it's hard to tell whether you have HIV.

It takes a long time for HIV to damage your immune system enough to make you sick. Most people show some signs of a weak immune system after about 10 years to 12 years.¹ Doctors call these later symptoms. But if you get treatment early, it may be much longer before you get these symptoms.

Most people who get infected with HIV get some symptoms after a few weeks. They are like the symptoms you get with a cold or the flu. Doctors call these early symptoms a seroconversion illness. It means your body is starting to make antibodies against HIV.² Antibodies are small particles that your immune system makes to help fight infections.

The symptoms of this stage usually last about three weeks and clear up without any treatment.

You may get:³

• Fever
• A rash
• Headaches
• Sore throat
• Loss of appetite
• Aching muscles and joints.

You might also have swollen lymph nodes (the glands in your armpits, groin and neck) or have recurrent cold sores.

Because some of these symptoms are so general many people don't realize that they have been infected with HIV. But if you think that you may have caught HIV, you should see your local genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic. This is important because:

• If you do get a positive HIV test, you will get support and advice, including advice about when to start treatment.
• At this early stage you're very infectious, which means it's very easy for you to spread the virus to other people. If you know you have the virus you can stop spreading it to other people.⁴

About 10 years to 12 years after getting infected with HIV, many people who are not taking drug treatments start to get opportunistic infections.¹ These are infections that you get when your immune system isn't working well. Examples of opportunistic infections are pneumonia and tuberculosis. When you're healthy you don't usually get these infections because your immune system fights them off.

You will be diagnosed with AIDS if you have HIV and you have one opportunistic infection out of a specific list, or a CD4 count below 200.⁵ For more information, see CD4 count.

You may also get certain types of cancer.

Opportunistic infections and cancer can cause many different symptoms. You may have an opportunistic infection if you get any of the following:⁵

• A bad cough
• Shortness of breath
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Confusion or forgetfulness
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Problems seeing clearly
• Nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting
• Weight loss
• Extreme tiredness
• Bad headaches
• Loss of consciousness (coma).

These symptoms show that the immune system is damaged and can't protect you so well against infections. You may need treatment for these infections with drugs. You can also have treatment that reduces your chances of getting these infections.

To read more, see:

• Opportunistic infections and cancer
• Antiretroviral drugs.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.