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Article History

Received: 15 May 2026

Accepted: 22 June 2026

First Online: 16 July 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval: Approval was obtained from Institutional Ethics Committee of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, MAHE, India, Protocol No.- IECKMCMLR 04/2026/187. This case report was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

Consent to participate: Not applicable.

Consent for publication: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal.

Patient perspective: When I first developed fever and headache, I thought it was a cold, but it stayed for a long while. I started developing pain in my abdomen and took antacids. But suddenly one day the pain really increased, and it was difficult to move, I could barely stay awake. My family members brought me to the hospital and doctors told me I had to get operated urgently; they needed to remove liquid from my abdomen. I was scared as I was not prepared for such things, but my family and doctors calmed me down. They told me I had HIV, but I realised it much later, and when I did, I was devasted thinking I cannot live, but more what everyone will think of me. I did not want to speak with my family, but the doctors helped us talk after one day. I was relieved when my family supported me but there were still some doubts at that time. I’m now going to therapy and taking medicine regularly to live better.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.