10 signs you might have HIV

HIV has disappeared from news headlines and most people’s consciousness, but not from our reality.

Marina Miller, the Southern AIDS Coalition’s Community Outreach Associate, is a Black, queer, Houston-based woman and HIV activist who has been living with HIV for the past 10 years. And she’s on a mission to raise awareness of HIV’s still devastating impact, especially on Houston’s Black and Brown communities.

“There is a serious HIV crisis in Houston, especially among Black and Hispanic communities, even across the south as we know it,” said Miller. “According to the Houston Health Department, African Americans make up over 50% of all HIV and AIDS cases in Harris County and Latinos comprise 29% of HIV cases.”

Testing is more critical now than ever. Why?

Well, according to www.BlackHealthMatters.com, within a month or two of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, 40% to 90% of people feel like they’re coming down with the flu. This is known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). But the early stages of HIV infection often don’t have any symptoms. And since one in five people with HIV doesn’t know he or she has it, the only way to know for sure if you’re infected is to get tested.

That’s why its important to recognize…

10 signs that you could be HIV-positive

An early sign of ARS is a mild fever accompanied by other flu-like symptoms: sore throat, swollen lymph glands, fatigue.

Itchy rashes on your arms or the trunk of your body that can’t be explained by an allergic reaction to your new detergent could be another early sign of HIV.

A dry cough—one that gets worse despite treatment with allergy medicine, antibiotics or inhalers—is typical in HIV patients.

Roughly 30% to 60% of people newly infected with HIV experience short-term nausea, vomiting or diarrhea (especially diarrhea that doesn’t respond to usual therapy).

Night sweats—similar to hot flashes that come with menopause—happen to about 50% of people with the early stages of HIV infection. They can happen even if the room is relatively cool and typically soak your pajamas and the sheets.

Herpes—both oral and genital—can be a sign of ARS. If you already have herpes, HIV infection can make outbreaks more severe because of your weakened immune system.

HIV infection has been associated with early menopause—at age 47 compared to age 51 for uninfected women. Late-stage infection can also lead to menstrual irregularities.

Have you noticed changes—splitting, curving, thickening, discoloration—in your nails? This is another sign of HIV infection, often caused by a fungal infection, and typically occurs late in the infection.

Confusion, memory problems or difficulty concentrating could be a sign of HIV-related dementia. Motor skills, such as lack of coordination or writing, could also begin to suffer.

Weight loss, no matter how much you eat, is a sign of more advanced illness and is most likely due, in part, to severe diarrhea. Once very common in late-stage HIV-positive people, doctors are seeing less of infection-related weight loss thanks to antiretroviral therapy.

How Does HIV/AIDS Affect African American Populations?

Although Black/African Americans represent almost 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 42.1 percent of HIV infection cases in 2019.
In 2020, African Americans were 7.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV infection, as compared to the white population.
African American males have 8.1 times the AIDS rate as compared to white males.
African American females have 15 times the AIDS rate as compared to white females.
African American men are 6.0 times as likely to die from HIV infection as non-Hispanic white men.
African American women are 15.3 times as likely to die from HIV infection as white women.

[Source: AIDS Foundation Houston]

HOUSTONIANS (SPECIFICALLY) LIVING WITH HIV

GENDER IDENTITY:

Male: 76%

Female: 24%

ETHNICITY

Latinx: 42%

Black: 40%

White: 15%

Other: 3%

AGE

13-24: 4%