Types of HIV Infections (AIDS)

For the first few years of the AIDS epidemic, it appeared that some HIV-infected people sickened and died quickly while the others stayed healthy indefinitely or slowly progressed into sickness. Now it appears the greater majority of HIV-infected will gradually become very sick and eventually die. There are reports of long-term survivors of HIV infection; but, they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

The average (the mean) incubation time for HIV infection is 10 years. Incubation time means the time from initial infection until the development of "full-blown AIDS," discussed below. The average is a bell curve, with 10 years at the center. Some individuals develop illness sooner than 10 years and some later than 10 years.

Most symptoms and diseases common to HIV infection are listed in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The presence of these symptoms and diseases varies from one patient to another. These diseases may occur in sequence or simultaneously.

Obviously, many of these symptoms can be caused by a number of common illnesses. These diseases are listed here for the sake of education, not for the purpose of self-diagnosis. In case of any persistent illness, consult your health care provider.

The popular classification system of HIV infections, used here, is a collection of haphazard definitions that evolved as the AIDS epidemic unfolded. These labels are ones of convenience, not ones of scientific or medical accuracy. Medical authorities use different, more complex, classification systems.

Basically, four loosely defined different stages of HIV infection exist: I ) the healthy carrier state, 2) the lymphadenopathy syndrome (LAS), 3) AIDS-related complex (ARC), and 4) AIDS or "frank AIDS," or "full-blown AIDS." These forms or the symptoms of each may overlap the other