Does My Rapid Weight Loss Mean I Have AIDS?
When you suddenly notice your weight diminishing and the reason is not apparent, you may wonder if there’s a medical problem at the root of it. Rapid weight loss can be caused by viral infections, parasites, and diseases of all kinds. Even something as basic as stress or depression can cause weight loss.
Probably not the first disease you’ll think of when your weight starts disappearing is HIV/AIDS. However, unexpected and severe weight loss is one of the more prevalent symptoms of this medical problem.
What to Look for
There’s actually a specific syndrome associated with weight loss and aids, called HIV wasting syndrome. Technically speaking, this means that you only have 90% or less of your body weight when compared to a month ago. That wasting occurs through three different avenues- fever, weakness, and diarrhea.
Simply losing weight does not mean that you have aids, but if you’re losing it through one of these means and you’ve lost a significant amount of weight, it’s possible that you’re suffering from aids. This disease does a number on your body, punishing you with feelings of unwellness, and that extreme weight loss in a short amount of time is just one of the ways it does that.
HIV can manifest in many different ways, but you almost always see an HIV sufferer experiencing significant weight loss. It’s so prevalent that about 25% of all HIV sufferers experience this particular symptom.
How Serious Is It?
Of course, HIV is a life-threatening disease. Though it can be managed through proper treatment and by catching it early on, each one of the symptoms associated with it comes with its own health problems. When we’re talking about extreme weight loss, it’s important to know that for every 1% of your base body that disappears, the risk of death increases.
It’s more life threatening to experience extreme weight loss like this when you’re suffering from HIV than when you’re not. That is due to how your body is constantly being attacked by other aspects of the disease and is going to have a tougher time getting better and keeping infections at bay while it’s struggling so much.
What’s Causing My Weight Loss?
If you’ve been diagnosed with HIV and you’re suffering from a lot of weight loss in a short period of time, there could be any number of reasons why that’s happening. We have discussed a few of those already, but you should also be aware that there are some other factors that are less common that can contribute to extreme weight loss in this situation.
One of the most notable ones is infection, and your body can become more easily infected when you have HIV because it is in a weakened state. Your immune system is already ravaged and crippled by the disease, so it will have a difficult time fighting off any other infections that may attack it.
Think of your body’s protective measures like an army. There are only so many soldiers in the army, and if they are called to fight on numerous fronts, their numbers will be stretched quite thin. On any of those fronts, they will be fighting weakly because of diminishing numbers against so many foes. Your body reacts the same way, having a difficult time handling each new infection or problem as its defenses are stretched quite thin.
A lot of hormonal changes can occur while you’re suffering with HIV as well. As your body changes and the chemical balance shifts, that can make it difficult for you to retain weight or to get proper nutrition from the food you eat.
Some of the drugs you take to treat the disease can also be having a deleterious effect on your body. There may be side effects from these drugs, and while you may need the medication, it can cause some harm as well. Be aware of these kinds of effects and talk to your doctor about alternatives if you’re suffering from severe side effects.
These are just a few things you can look for if you’re beginning to experience weight loss while you have HIV. Remember that this is a battle you don’t have to try to handle alone and there is help for the symptoms you’re going through.
