HIV Symptoms in Men

In people who have HIV, they experience symptoms that vary depending on the stage of the infection. HIV is a kind of virus that affects an individual’s immune system particularly CD4 cells that help protect one from illnesses. Although the immune system can ward off other viruses, it is unable to eliminated HIV virus. Symptoms of HIV may vary from one person to another, so no two persons having HIV are going to have exact same symptoms. That said, HIV tends to follow the following pattern:

• An acute illness at the onset of the disease
• Asymptomatic period
• An advanced infection

 

Initial symptoms of HIV are mostly vague and unspecific among men. The symptoms occurring on the onset of the infection are usually bearable and they are frequently confused with or mistaken for flu and other mild conditions. Therefore, men may at times undervalue those symptoms and ignore going to see a doctor until they have them worsen. However, this is a mistake because by the time the symptoms have worsened, the infection has already advanced.

 

 

HIV Symptoms in Men (Early Signs)

 

It’s estimated that 80 percent of individuals who’re infected with HIV virus experience symptoms of flu in the first weeks. The flu-like symptoms that occur within the first 7 to 14 days are as a result of an illness know as acute HIV infection. This is the primary stage of the HIV stages and it will last until an individual’s body creates antibodies to start fighting the virus. During the acute HIV infection stage, the common symptoms are:

• Fever
• Severe headaches
• Body rush
• Sore throat

 

Less common symptoms that occur during this initial stage are:

• Swollen lymph nodes
• Fatigue
• Muscles aches
• Mouth ulcers or genital ulcers
• Joint pain
• Night sweats
• Nausea and vomiting

 

If you experience these symptoms and think that you may have been infected with HIV, you should schedule an appointment with a doctor so that you are tested. HIV symptoms tend to be same in men and women. However, one HIV symptom that is seen in men and not women is the formation of an ulcer on the individual’s penis.

 

Because men may underrate the initial symptoms or acute HIV symptoms, they may not get timely treatment, something that explains why the disease severely affects men than women. That said, this situation doesn’t occur to every man. Men may also experience symptoms that are severe during the early stages of HIV infection, these symptoms include weight loss, dementia, and fatigue. Though rarely, the disease may rapidly progress to AIDS.

 

HIV may also result in reduced production of sex hormones a condition known as hypogonadism, and it can occur in both sexes. It is easier to observe the effects of hypogonadism in men than in women. In men, one of the effects that is associated with low testosterone levels is erectile dysfunction, a condition where a man is unable to sustain an erection.

 

Asymptomatic HIV Infection

 

When the initial symptoms of HIV disappear, there may be no additional symptoms occurring at least for months or even years. During this phase, an individual’s immune system is slowly weakening, however, the person is not showing symptoms. The duration it takes for the asymptomatic HIV infection depends on how fast the virus copies itself as well as how the genes of the individual affect the way their body handles the virus. In some individuals, it may take as long as 10 years or even longer without having the symptoms. In others, the immune system severely weakens within a few years and they will show symptoms sooner.

 

During the asymptomatic period a person won’t feel or appear sick, however, the virus is still taking its toll on their immune system. The individual can easily transmit the microbes to other people. So early testing is very crucial for people even those that feel fine.

The asymptomatic HIV infection phase is also known as the clinical latency stage. At this stage, using antiretroviral therapy (ART) can help control the virus so that it doesn’t progress further to AIDS. Using ART at the clinical latency period also means that individuals have fewer chances of transmitting it to other persons. Although the virus is still multiplying in the bloodstream, the rates at which it reproduces is low meaning it may not be detected by testing. In people who have undetectable levels of HIV for more than 6 months, they cannot pass on the virus to other persons through sex.

 

Advanced Infection

 

Although it may take a while, HIV will eventually break down the immune system of an individual. When it happens, the disease will progress to stage three, which is often known as AIDS. This is the last stage, and it is characterized by severely damaged body immunity and at this point, the individual becomes highly vulnerable to opportunistic infections.

 

You find that an individual’s body is not able to effectively fight off infections that it would previously ward off.  People with HIV infection that has progressed to advanced infection may notice that their body frequently suffers infections like fungal infections, flu, and colds. The patients also experience other symptoms like:

• Persistent diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Chronic fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Cough
• Rapid weight loss
• Rashes, lesions, sore in their nose, genitals, mouth, or under the skin
• Recurring chills, fever, and night sweats
• Memory loss and confusion or neurological disorders
• Swollen lymph nodes in their neck, armpits, and groin areas that persist for long

 

 

How Does HIV Progress

 

During the time HIV is advancing, it attacks and damages CD4 cells to an extent that the body cannot be able to fight off diseases and infections. When a person’s body isn’t able to fight infections and diseases, it is said that the disease has progressed to stage 3, and it takes about a couple of months to 10 years or longer to get to this stage.

 

Not every individual will have HIV progressing to stage 3. The virus can be controlled by taking antiretroviral drugs. The combination of medication applied in controlling HIV is at times given the name combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). It may also be referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The drug therapy is able to prevent the replication of HIV virus. The treatment is more effective if an individual starts early and it can stop HIV from progressing and improve quality of life.

 

 

HIV Prevalence – How Common is The Disease

 

Although scientists and researchers have made significant progress in the prevention and treatment of HIV over the last decades, it remains a serious health problem in most countries around the world.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 1.1 million individuals in America were infected with HIV as of 2010.  Although new diagnoses fell by about 5 percent in the period between 2011 and 2015, still the number of those living with the disease is still high.

 

At the end of 2010, about 76 percent of people having HIV in America were male representing approximately 38,000 new diagnoses of the total 47,500. In that year, most new diagnoses were recorded in men, which represented 80 percent of new diagnoses. Also, 69 percent of males with HIV were bisexual, gay, or other men who usually have sex with men.

 

HIV affects people of all gender, race, and sexual orientation. It is spread from a person to another through getting in contact with semen, blood, or vaginal fluids containing the virus. When you have sex with a person who is HIV-positive, and you don’t use a condom, you greatly increase your risk of contracting the infection.

 

As of 2016, gay and bisexual men were the most affected population by HIV accounting for 67 percent or 26,570 of new HIV diagnoses and 83 percent of males’ new diagnoses.

 

Of the 38,000 estimated new HIV infections among men in the United States, about 39 percent or 14,700 were seen in black while whites represented 35 percent or 13,200 cases and Hispanics and Latinos accounted for 22 percent or 8,500 infections.

 

 

HIV Diagnosis in Women vs. Men

 

Diagnosis of HIV in women and men is conducted through blood or saliva sample testing but urine can also be used to test an individual for the virus. The test checks for antibodies that the body produces to help in fighting the virus. It takes about 3 to 12 weeks for the test to detect antibodies.

 

Doctors may also do another test that checks for HIV antigens. The antigens are substances produced by the virus soon it is transmitted to an individual. These antigens make the immune system to become active in fighting the virus. HIV produces antigens known as p24, which may be found even before the development of antibodies.

 

Both antigen and antibody tests are conducted in laboratory facilities but there are home tests that individuals can take. The home tests may need some sample of saliva or blood and the results come out pretty quickly. If you have done a home HIV test and you tested positive, you need to confirm those results with a doctor. In case you test negative, consider repeating it some few months after to confirm the results.

 

 

How Often Should Men Be Tested for HIV

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidelines about testing for HIV.  According to CDC, everyone who is between the age of 13 and 64 needs to go for voluntary screening for HIV just like they would be tested for other diseases as standard element of medical practice. If you think that you could have been exposed to HIV, you need to consult your doctor right away. HIV.gov says that almost 97 percent of individuals will test positive for the virus in a span of three months following the time of exposure.

 

Men who are considered sexually active need to be tested for the virus at least once during their lifetime as a standard of the routine healthcare.  The CDC also advises that people who have a specific risk factors need to take the test once a year or even more. This recommendation targets groups that are at an increased risk of contracting HIV for example, gay and bisexual men or men who do sex with men, or users of injectable drugs. A person who does sex without using a condom or anyone who might have been exposed to HIV should also get the test.

 

 

Protecting Yourself against HIV

 

As of 2015, according to CDC, about 15 percent of individuals living with the virus in the United States didn’t actually know that they contracted it. In the past recent years, the number of individuals that are living with the virus has increased, but the HIV transmissions have remained fairly stable. People need to understand the symptoms that present with HIV infections and go for testing.

 

It is important to avoid exposure or getting in contact with bodily fluids that are said to potentially carry the virus. There are also other measures that people need to take to help prevent contracting HIV, for example:

• Should use condoms when doing vaginal and anal sex. Used correctly, these condoms can be effective at protecting people against HIV.
• Avoiding intravenous drugs is also another way to reduce the risk of having the infection. People need to stop sharing or reusing needles. There are cities that have put in place needle exchange programs to help provide sterile needles to users. Something to mention here is that drug users put themselves at an increased risk of contracting HIV because they share needles and the altered mental state by drugs make them not make informed decision when indulging in sex. For example, it is easier for a drug user to ignore or overlook the use of a condom, which can subject them to the virus when they do sex.
• Always take precautions when handling blood or body fluids by using latex gloves or other forms of barriers from infections.
• Having HIV test helps you know if you have the virus or not. If you test positive, treatment can be offered to prevent the infection from progressing to AIDS and you too take steps to minimize the risk of contracting the virus to other people.

 

Although there isn’t cure for HIV, when people get prompt diagnosis and they start treatment early, it can slow down the progression and improve the individual’s quality of life. You can get more information about HIV treatment by visiting AIDSinfo.

 

In a study that was conducted in 2013, it found out that people having HIV might be able to live near-normal life expectancy if treatment starts before the immune system is highly damaged. Another study conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) indicated that early treatment helps people having HIV infections to reduce the risk of passing on the virus to their partners.

 

When people get treatment and they adhere to it so that the virus isn’t detectable within their blood, it can help make it virtually impossible to contract the virus to their partner, according to recent studies. The Prevention Access Campaign that is backed by CDC promotes this finding using a campaign known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).