Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv ) Infection

Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is the small period of time after a person has been exposed to HIV and before they have seroconverted. Seroconversion is the process in which the body starts to create antibodies to fight the HIV virus (Pietrangelo, 2013). During this period of time, which is usually a few days, the virus replicates rapidly. The rapid replication results in extremely high amounts of HIV in the blood because the body has not had time to respond to the infection. As the viral load increases more CD4 white cells are destroyed. CD4 cells are a responsible in protecting the body from infection. When these cells are destroyed they no longer are able to adequately activate the body s immune system. (AIDS.GOV).†¦show more content†¦Signs/symptoms of Acute HIV Infection Including HP Not all patients with HIV will have signs or symptoms during the acute infection phase. If a patient is having symptoms they can often times think that they have the flu. Acute HIV infection symptoms can show up 2-4 weeks after exposure and last from a few days to several weeks (Cherney, 2014). If they are exhibiting symptoms they may present as having a fever, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes, myalgia, diarrhea, oral ulcers or thrush, and fatigue. Lab results may also show leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, or an elevation in transaminase (DHHS, 2015). Differential diagnoses include the flu or Epstein- Barr Virus since these also present with similar symptoms. A thorough health history must be taken with patients before an exam in order to identify risk behavior. Important things to ask about are sexual history, partners and possible exposures, any drug use (especially intravenously), and any current STI’s (HRSA, 2014). Upon physical exam things to look for or may see with an acute HIV infection would be ecchymosis, purpura, petechiae, Kaposi sarcoma, lymphadenopathy, oral candidiasis, or hepatosplenomegaly (Aberg et al., 2014). Cultural Implications The numbers of new HIV infections per year has remained relatively the same since the 1990’s (CDC, 2015). Out of