What are the main symptoms of aids?

Please see your doctor as soon as possible for a test--and if it's not for you, please encourage that person to get tested as soon as possible. AIDS and HIV and preventable and treatable with early detection and treatment, the sooner the better.

According to the MayoClinic, (Web site here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aid...

AIDS symptoms change over time:
Early infection
When first infected with HIV, you may have no signs or symptoms at all, although it's more common to develop a brief flu-like illness two to four weeks after becoming infected. Signs and symptoms may include:

* Fever
* Headache
* Sore throat
* Swollen lymph glands
* Rash

Even if you don't have symptoms, you're still able to transmit the virus to others. Once the virus enters your body, your own immune system also comes under attack. The virus multiplies in your lymph nodes and slowly begins to destroy your helper T cells (CD4 lymphocytes) 鈥?the white blood cells that coordinate your entire immune system.

Later infection
You may remain symptom-free for eight or nine years or more. But as the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, you may develop mild infections or chronic symptoms such as:

* Swollen lymph nodes 鈥?often one of the first signs of HIV infection
* Diarrhea
* Weight loss
* Fever
* Cough and shortness of breath

Latest phase of infection
During the last phase of HIV 鈥?which occurs approximately 10 or more years after the initial infection 鈥?more serious symptoms may begin to appear, and the infection may then meet the official definition of AIDS. In 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) redefined AIDS to mean the presence of HIV infection as shown by a positive HIV-antibody test plus at least one of the following:

* The development of an opportunistic infection 鈥?an infection that occurs when your immune system is impaired 鈥?such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
* A CD4 lymphocyte count of 200 or less 鈥?a normal count ranges from 800 to 1,200

By the time AIDS develops, your immune system has been severely damaged, making you susceptible to opportunistic infections. The signs and symptoms of some of these infections may include:

* Soaking night sweats
* Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F (38 C) for several weeks
* Dry cough and shortness of breath
* Chronic diarrhea
* Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth
* Headaches
* Blurred and distorted vision
* Weight loss

You may also begin to experience signs and symptoms of later stage HIV infection itself, such as:

* Persistent, unexplained fatigue
* Soaking night sweats
* Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F (38 C) for several weeks
* Swelling of lymph nodes for more than three months
* Chronic diarrhea
* Persistent headaches

If you're infected with HIV, you're also more likely to develop certain cancers, especially Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer and lymphoma, although improved treatments have reduced the risk of these illnesses.

Symptoms of HIV in children
Children who are HIV-positive may experience:

* Difficulty gaining weight
* Difficulty growing normally
* Problems walking
* Delayed mental development
* Severe forms of common childhood illnesses such as ear infections (otitis media), pneumonia and tonsillitis

For a Web site with an overview of good resources on AIDS:
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/He...

Best