Question
Does this mean that I am progressing to AIDS?
9 October 2009. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Opportunistic infections.
Hi.
Recently I’ve had some pain that rapidly emerges and disappears. It is swelling and sores arroung my upper and lower lips. It seems like herpes. It is recurring-it happened twice within three weeks. It dies out within a week. Does this mean that I am progressing to AIDS? How can I control it? I am ashamed as people may identify me as HIV-positive.
Answer
Firstly, it is really important a medical professional to take a look at the swelling and diagnose exactly what it is. There are other things that may look like herpes too. The sooner you know what the problem is, the sooner you will be able to deal with the symptoms.
Secondly, if it is herpes, you must be aware that there are millions of people around the world, who are HIV-negative and still have herpes. So, this condition is not something that can disclose your HIV-status.
Finally, having herpes or not, does not say much about your CD4 count, as you can have herpes symptoms at different CD4 levels. If you can access tests for CD4 count, however, it is really important to check it regularly. There is more information about it here.
Your doctor should be able to help with this.
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