The site, character and severity of headaches are variable. Fever, neurological symptoms (such as weakness or numbness), visual problems, anxiety and depression may all be associated with headaches, depending on the cause.

Causes

As in anybody else the common causes of headache in HIV are stress, tension, migraine and sinusitis. More serious causes in HIV are meningitis and, less often, cerebral toxoplasmosis and lymphoma. Headache may occasionally be a side-effect of drug therapy, such as AZT.

What to do

Simple measures like rest, relaxation and pain killers may be all that is needed, but if the headache is severe, prolonged, recurrent or associated with neurological problems, such as confusion, then you should consult your doctor. If you have both a headache and fever it may indicate a serious infection, and urgent medical attention should be sought.