When taking a health history from a patient during the period of chronic HIV, the nurse would expect to find:

Question

A) no clinical manifestations of HIV infection.
B) nonspecific symptoms including fever, fatigue, headache, lymphadenopathy, arthralgias, and rash.
C) fever, night sweats, diarrhea, and mucocutaneous abnormalities.
D) opportunistic infections and malignancies.

Answer 1

A) no clinical manifestations of HIV infection.

Explanation: A) During the period of chronic HIV infection and after the acute infection subsides, most individuals show no clinical manifestations of HIV infection for several years, even in the absence of treatment.
B) Primary HIV infection is a nonspecific, acute syndrome that occurs 2-4 weeks after viral infection and lasts for 1-2 weeks. The most common signs and symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, lymphadenopathy, arthralgias, and a maculopapular rash that affects the face and trunk.
C) HIV-related conditions develop as CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts decline. Early conditions are generally non-life-threatening and include headache and fatigue. Over time, the conditions become more severe and include fever, night sweats, diarrhea, and mucocutaneous abnormalities.
D) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is characterized by severe immunodeficiency (i.e., CD4+ T-lymphocyte count <200 cells/mm3), opportunistic infections, and/or malignancies.