HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a serious infection which affects the body’s immune system – making it vulnerable to diseases and other infections. If it is not treated and managed in time, HIV could lead to AIDs. HIV is mostly transmitted through transfusion of bodily fluids such as saliva, semen and blood. A large number of people get afflicted with HIV due to unprotected sex. To avoid heath complications, here are some early HIV symptoms you should not neglect.

High Fever

Generally, one of the very first signs of HIV is getting a high fever. Since, HIV is an infection, fever is your body’s way to tell you that there’s a foreign disease in your body. Along with the fever you may face other symptoms such as headache, sore throat and swollen glands which may lead you believe that you might just have the common flu. You may continue to face these symptoms as long as the infection is in your body or could be suppressed by prescribed medication.

Fatigue

If you feel tired all the time, regardless of how much you sleep or rest, it might be a symptom of HIV. As mentioned above, your body’s immune system will put up a fight against the infection to protect you but this constant fight can cause you to feel tired and fatigued all the time.

Body Pain

If you are too young to actually have arthritis but you still feel pain your body, especially in your joints, you may want to check whether you are HIV positive or not. The virus after entering your bloodstream, can make it to your joint capsules – leading to moderate to severe joint pain.

Blemishes and Rashes

Skin rashes are often a sigh of allergy. But if you are sure that you haven’t had an allergic reaction to anything in the past and no tests indicate that you are having an allergic reaction – your rashes might be due to HIV. Skin rashes caused by HIV are generally red and itchy but are not swollen or bumpy like mosquito bites. If you notice such rashes on your body, see your doctor as soon as you can.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea, or stomach flu, is a common condition often a result of overeating could also be one of the early signs of HIV. If it is in fact just a regular stomach flu, it should get better after taking a dose of lopermide. But if it is due to HIV, your diarrhea might be unrelenting.

So, in case you realize after reading all this that you have all or most of the symptoms above, it may be time to visit a specialist and get yourself tested for HIV. The sooner you start treating the infection, the sooner you can get it out of your body.