Home Health Aide Practice Exam

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Prepare for the Home Health Aide Exam. Use flashcards and a variety of multiple-choice questions, each accompanied by hints and explanations. Be fully prepared to excel in your test!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What are initial signs and symptoms of HIV infections?

Flu-like symptoms
Nausea and dizziness
High fever and rash
Fatigue and coughing

The correct answer is: Flu-like symptoms

Flu-like symptoms are indeed the initial signs associated with HIV infection. When the virus first enters the body, it can cause a condition known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) or primary HIV infection. This stage typically occurs within 2 to 4 weeks of exposure. Symptoms can include fever, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches, which are similar to those of the flu. This early presentation of symptoms is crucial because it can often be mistaken for a common viral illness, leading to a potential delay in diagnosis. The other options present symptoms that may occur later in the course of HIV infection or may not be directly associated with it. For example, nausea and dizziness can arise from many unrelated health issues, while high fever and rash can be signs of various infections or reactions. Fatigue and coughing may also occur, but are not as specific to the early stage of HIV infection as flu-like symptoms, which are more characteristic of the body's initial response to the virus.