In the Merck Manual, it describes one of the symptoms of HIV as being intermittent fevers. How often is considered intermittent and what constitutes the degree of fever one with HIV may have? Thank you.

Hi. Thank you for your question.

There is no simple way to make a description of the fevers associated with HIV/AIDS, since they can vary so much from person to person. Sometimes there can be low grade fevers, and sometimes there can be high grade fevers. There is no specific time point when we talk of intermittent fevers. All we can say is that fevers are seen from time to time in persons with AIDS, and the severity of the fevers can vary from person to person. They can also vary significantly depending on the cause (for example, some opportunistic infections can cause fevers). Because fevers can vary so much from patient to patient, it's hard to generalize when we speak of the fevers associated with HIV/AIDS.

And remember, just having a fever (low grade or high grade) does NOT indicate HIV infection, in of itself!

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Centers for Disease Control at 1.800.232.4636 (Nationwide).