Oral ulcers in HIV patients

HIV mouth sores are one of the early signs of the disease in its early stages. The condition not only interferes with and interferes with daily life, canker sores also facilitate infection, leading to other health risks. So what causes early-stage HIV mouth ulcers?

HIV mouth sores is a common symptom, seen in most patients of this disease even when the disease is still in its early stages. According to the World Health Organization, up to 40% to 50% of HIV patients experience an infection in the mouth, which leads to sores and sores. This condition not only causes pain and prevents patients from eating and drinking, but also a premise for many other dangerous complications.
Causes of HIV mouth ulcers are diverse, of which the most common are the following 5 causes.
1.1 Early HIV Oral Ulcers When infected with HIV, the patient is also at high risk of contracting another ulcerative virus, the Herpes Simplex virus (or HSV). This virus when attacking the mouth area will create red sores in most places, including the lips, tongue, gums and the inside of the cheeks. Most of the sores caused by this virus are cold sores, or blisters.
In addition, when suffering from oral herpes, the patient also has some other symptoms such as mild fever, muscle aches, weakness, swollen and painful lymph nodes, burning body...
This is a type Opportunistic infections occur in HIV-infected patients. However, anyone is at risk of being attacked by this virus. In fact, the HIV virus spreads rapidly through direct contact with the saliva or sores of an infected patient.
Not only causes sores in the mouth, HIV is also the cause of herpes in the genitals, anus... if there is direct contact.
1.2 The HPV virus also causes cold sores HIV Being infected with HIV creates an opportunity for a multitude of other pathogens to attack, including the HPV virus. HPV is the human papillomavirus and it is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. In addition, this virus also spreads and causes anal / oral cancer if the patient has unprotected sex with a healthy person.
When HPV infection in the mouth, around the mouth will appear white bumps, small size, warts, mouth sores, sore throat and difficulty swallowing when eating...

1.3 HIV mouth ulcers caused by canker sores Mouth sores, also known as Aphthous ulcers, include shallow and small ulcers, appearing more in the soft tissue around the mouth such as the inside of the cheeks, gums, lips... This ulcer is white or yellow with a red border, oval or round in shape, varying in size.
Different from the above causes, canker sores can happen to any object, whether healthy or sick, even appearing monthly. Causes of canker sores are many, including prolonged stress, eating hot and spicy foods, mouth injuries, vitamin and mineral deficiencies...
Among them, HIV patients have weakened immune function. Fluid is also one of the causes of canker sores, but these HIV mouth sores are not contagious. If you are diagnosed with canker sores, you just need to gargle with salt water or mouthwash, keep your oral cavity clean, adjust to a healthy diet... will improve quickly.

For people with weakened immune systems, the risk of fungal infections in the mouth is much higher. Therefore, HIV patients are quite likely to get mouth sores because of this cause.
When you have oral thrush, the roof of your mouth, tongue, and inside of your cheeks will appear white or yellow patches. Some other symptoms that may be encountered when having oral thrush are:
Burning throat, difficulty swallowing. Severe dry mouth. Loss of appetite and loss of taste Dry mouth causes mouth ulcers HIV HIV virus causes the body's salivary glands to swell and reduce the amount of saliva produced, causing severe dry mouth. At that time, the area in the mouth will not be free of plaque as well as infection.

Of course a disease is not caused by any single symptom, and so is HIV. Canker sores are just one of many common symptoms of HIV, but this cannot make a diagnosis alone.
You will be more likely to have early HIV if, in addition to mouth ulcers, the body has the following symptoms.
3.1 Frequent low-grade fever During the ARS window of HIV disease, the patient's body often has a low-grade fever (38 degrees Celsius to 39 degrees Celsius) and is accompanied by symptoms such as sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and weakness. This is the response of the immune system when the virus moves gradually into the bloodstream and begins to multiply.
In addition, you will also have some other symptoms such as headache, aching joints and muscles. The ARS stage is very often mistaken for the common cold or other viral infections.
3.2 Feeling Nausea and Vomiting, Diarrhea Approximately 30% to 60% of patients with HIV will experience frequent vomiting and diarrhea in the early stages of HIV, especially after antiretroviral therapy. This is the result of opportunistic infections caused by HIV.
3.3 Unexplained weight loss Unusual weight loss even after eating a lot is a sign that the disease has progressed to a more serious stage.
3.4 Skin rash is also an early sign of HIV During HIV infection, sooner or later, your skin will develop a pink or red rash that creates discomfort and itching. In addition, you are also more susceptible to colds and allergies.

For women, early signs of HIV infection include:
More susceptible to yeast infections. This fungus is a common cause of vaginitis, but it can also cause inflammation of the mouth and esophagus, which manifests as white patches. Menstrual irregularity with significantly less menstrual bleeding and menstrual bleeding. It can be said that signs of HIV mouth ulcer are one of the early manifestations in the early stages of the disease, which can occur for many reasons. However, to know exactly whether you have the disease or not, it is necessary to have an examination from the hospital.
Currently, the Social Disease Screening and Examination Package of Vinmec International General Hospital helps customers to screen for social diseases in order to detect diseases early for effective treatment and avoid complications.