Chronic symptomatic HIV infection

Alternative names:

middle stage HIV disease, AIDS-related complex (ARC), chronic symptomatic HIV infection

Symptoms:

• mouth disorders
  • hairy leukoplakia of tongue
  • oral thrush (Candida of the mouth)
  • gingivitis
• prolonged diarrhea
• skin disorders
  • seborrheic dermatitis
  • molluscum contagiosum
  • dermatophyte infection (fungal infection of the skin or nails)
• swollen lymph glands
• sweating, excessive--night sweats
• prolonged fever
• prolonged fatigue
• malaise (vague feeling of discomfort)
• weight loss
• joint pain
• Pap smear that shows cervical dysplasia
• Recurrent herpes zoster - herpes that occurs over a very discrete patch of skin
• A rare disease called ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) - where your platelets are destroyed

Signs and tests:

• HIV ELISA/Western blot shows that positive for HIV antibodies

Lab tests that indicate immune suppression include:

• T4 lymphocyte count decreased
• CBC, WBC less than 4,000
• platelet count less than 100,000
• skin test anergy - no response to special skin test used to test for infection or immune function

Update Date: 04/01/00

Updated By: Luis A. Diaz, Jr. M.D., Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, VeriMed Health Network