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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It is not uncommon for people to present at their doctor&amp;amp;#39;s office with such non-specific symptoms as fever, headache, muscle/joint aches and sore throat. At many cases, it would be presumptively diagnosed as the flu, after which the patient would be sent home with pain relievers and advised to rest and drink plenty of fluids.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;But when might these symptoms suggest something more? Might we (and our doctors) misreading the clues by jumping to the first, and albeit reasonable, diagnosis?&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Today, we should always consider the possibility of HIV in those at high risk of infection, including &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/men-who-have-sex-with-men-msm-48993&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;men who have sex with men (MSM)&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and sexually active &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/hiv-risk-in-young-people-49095&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;adolescents and young adults&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While the abovelisted symtpoms may not serve as obvious warning signs, they are type of symptoms commonly seen in those with recent HIV infection (a state commonly referred to as acute HIV syndrome, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-are-the-early-signs-of-hiv-49571&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;acute retroviral syndrome&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, and acute seroconversion).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Learn more about the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-are-the-early-signs-of-hiv-49571&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;early signs and symptoms of HIV&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;What is Acute HIV Syndrome?&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Acute HIV syndrome is the body&amp;amp;#39;s reaction to a new HIV infection, presents with symptom similar to that of flu or mononucleosis. It occurs in anywhere from 30-50% of newly infected individuals, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The symptoms are the result of the body&amp;amp;#39;s aggressive activation of an immune defense, in which pro-inflammatory enzymes and agents are produced as immune cells fight to neutralizing the viral invaders.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While it is understandable that a person might miss these signs when sitting in a doctor&amp;amp;#39;s office, there are occasionally clues that might suggest this is something more serious. Among them:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;The sudden appearance of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/common-hiv-lymphadenopathy-questions-49596&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;painful, swollen lymph nodes&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;A disseminated rash, colloquially referred to as an &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-does-an-hiv-rash-look-like-49572&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;HIV rash&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Diarrhea&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Recent &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-activities-are-of-high-and-low-risk-for-hiv-49117&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;high-risk sexual activity&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Recent shared injecting drug use&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While none of these factors are in and of themselves a direct indication of HiV infection, they most certainly warrant closer investigation and diagnosis&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Why Is Identifying Acute HIV Important?&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;First and foremost, an early diagnosis of HIV provides a newly infected person with the opportunity of immediate &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-are-antiretrovirals-and-how-do-they-work-49639&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;antiretroviral therapy (ART)&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. The early implementation of ART is associated with not only lower risk of illness but increases the likelihood of achieving near-normal to normal life spans in those infected.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Some research has also suggested that early intervention may slow disease progression by preventing the virus from establishing &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-latent-hiv-reservoir-49020&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;hidden reservoirs in the cells and tissue&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;s of the body. In doing so, the chronic inflammation associated with long-term infection may be reduced, lowering the risk of non-HIV-related comorbidities.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;How Is Acute HIV Syndrome Diagnosed?&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Newer &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/combination-hiv-tests-49161&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;combination antibody/antigen test&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;s are better at diagnosing early HIV infection when compared to antibody tests that miss as many as 90% of acute cases.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;See which tests are the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/which-hiv-tests-are-the-most-accurate-48748&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;most accurate in detecting acute HIV infection&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While there is still potential for misdiagnosis, some newer generation assays are able to confirm over 80% of new HIV infections.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;What Needs to be Done?&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While many might suggest that it&amp;amp;#39;s the doctors role to diagnose, it&amp;amp;#39;s important that the patients participate by volunteering, fully and honestly, any practice that may have placed them at high risk of HIV. It&amp;amp;#39;s so perfectly reasonable to request an HIV test, which the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends for &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/who-should-get-an-hiv-test-and-when-49164&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;all Americans age 15-65&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; as part of a routine doctor&amp;amp;#39;s visit.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Doctors and clinic staff should also be appraised of these guidelines and make it a practice to suggest HIV testing of their patients, particularly in communities with high HIV prevalence.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Sources:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;The INSIGHT START Study Group.. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1506816#t&amp;amp;#61;article&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;13&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#34;Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy in Early Asymptomatic HIV Infection.&amp;amp;#34;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0\u00A0&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;New England Journal of Medicine.\u00A0&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;July 20, 2015; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1506816.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Moyer, V.\u00A0&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23698354&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;14&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#34;Screening for HIV: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.&amp;amp;#34;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0.&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Annals of Internal Medicine.\u00A0&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;April 30, 2013; doi:10.7326/0003-4819-159-1-201307020-00645.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/recognizing-acute-hiv-syndrome-47948>