Central Nervous System Lymphomas

The initial symptoms of an HIV infection are not considered to be AIDS. AIDS is not typically diagnosed until the immune cells of an HIV infected individual have dropped below a threshold number or the person has developed opportunistic infections.

Many AIDS patients experience severe weight loss, also referred to as chronic wasting, as a result of the infection. This can be the result of a loss of appetite that commonly accompanies the disease or as a complication of other infections that AIDS sufferers are susceptible to. Sometimes nutritional counselling and dietary supplements can help mitigate the effects of chronic wasting in AIDS patients.

Neurological Symptoms:
The brain can be affected by AIDS and patients frequently exhibit signs of dementia or memory loss. This may be the result of swelling of the brain that occurs in some AIDS patients. In these people, chronic swelling causes injury to the tissues of the brain, leading to permanent brain damage.

Central Nervous System Lymphomas:
Central nervous system lymphomas are malignant tumours that affect the brain and are symptomatic of advanced AIDS. These are usually associated with the herpes-related Epstein-Barr virus, according to the San Francisco AIDS foundation. Central nervous system lymphoma symptoms include headaches, seizures, speech and vision problems, paralysis and dementia.