Herpes Symptoms

More than 50 million Americans have herpes, a disease caused by a viral infection that can cause blisters in the genital area, among other symptoms.

The herpes simplex virus comes in two varieties, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 tends to be the milder variant of the virus and usually causes blisters in the oral area. HSV-2 is known for having more severe symptoms and usually infects the genital area, causing painful blisters and sores. One common misconception many people have about herpes is that HSV-1 only infects the oral region. In fact HSV-1 can also infect the genital region, and because of its usually less severe symptoms, is usually not noticed by infected persons, thus facilitating its spread to others.

The two variations of herpes simplex are a lot more alike than most people know. When examined under a microscope, the two variants of herpes simplex are extremely similar, sharing about half of their DNA. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 infect the mucosal surfaces of the body, usually around the mouth or the gentials, and thus take up residence in the nervous system. In both variants of herpes, nearly 66 percent of infected persons are asymptomatic, or have symptoms that are too mild to notice or are confused with other problems.

The main difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2 is their site of preference. HSV-1, in most cases, establishes latency in a grouping of nerve cells near the patient’s ear known as the trigeminal ganglion. In the case of HSV-2, the virus usually takes up residence at the base of the spine in a nerve cluster known as the sacral ganglion.

HSV-1

HSV-1 most commonly causes blisters on the lips and is colloquially referred to as cold sores. Contrary to popular belief, however, HSV-1 can also infect the genitals. Symptoms of an HSV-1 infection of the genitals tend to be less severe, causing many infected persons to never realize that they are infected unless they are tested.

While symptoms of HSV-1 tend to be less severe, HSV-1 is more widespread than HSV-2 — it’s estimated that nearly 60 percent of the population has it — and can have some very serious complications. In some cases where HSV-1 has become latent in the trigeminal ganglion, the virus can cause inflammations in the eye that can lead to blindness. HSV-1 is a leading cause of fatal sporadic encephalitis. This is a swelling of the brain that proves fatal. The chances of contracting this ailment are rare, but in the vast majority of fatal sporadic encephalitis, HSV-1 is the cause.

HSV-1 is more easily spread than HSV-2, and it’s estimated that 90 percent of the population will have HSV-1 antibodies in their bloodstream by late middle age. Oral HSV-1 is the easiest way to get herpes. It’s typically spread by social kisses, such as one an aunt or uncle might give a child. Children are particularly susceptible to herpes because they have little immune defense against it.

In genital infections of HSV-1, many infected persons never experience another outbreak after the initial outbreak. Again, this may lead some people to believe that they do not have herpes or lead them to confuse their symptoms with another ailment.

HSV-2

HSV-2 is what most people refer to as genital herpes. Common belief says that HSV-2 is the more serious version of herpes, but as mentioned before, HSV-1 is more widespread than this variant and has some very serious complications. Nevertheless, symptoms of HSV-2 tend to be much more frequently occurring and severe.

About a fifth of Americans have HSV-2. It is acquired through sexual contact, and most infected persons contract it in their late teens and early 20s.

Unlike HSV-1, HSV-2 does not tend to impact other parts of the body. Those infections of HSV-2 that do occur outside the virus’ usual area of preference very rarely cause problems. Symptoms of HSV-2 consist of painful bumps and sores in the genital area, and occasional fever and flu-like symptoms. HSV-2 outbreaks tend to be more frequent and severe than HSV-1 outbreaks. Most infected persons who suffer outbreaks tend to suffer about four to six outbreaks per year.

One particular problem associated with HSV-2 is the danger it poses to unborn children. Pregnant women infected with herpes run a risk of transmitting the disease to their unborn children. The virus may also cause birth defects, particularly if the infection is a recent one. Health care providers generally treat pregnant women with an antiviral medication to reduce the chance of negative impacts of their herpes affecting unborn children.

While HSV-1 and HSV-2 differ in severity and other aspects, both are health problems that the general public should be aware of in order to take precautions against the further spread of herpes and its associated health problems.

People with herpes who have several outbreaks per year or who have severe outbreaks of the illness should consider a daily suppressive treatment to reduce their number of outbreaks and to mitigate the severity of these outbreaks. Herpes is an illness that affects millions of Americans. It comes in two varieties, HSV-2 and the less severe HSV-1. This sexual transmitted disease is incurable, but treatments can help mitigate its severity and help prevent the infected person from passing the illness on to his or her sexual partners.

According to experts, the use of suppressive therapy to treat herpes can reduce the number of outbreaks by up to 80 percent. For people suffering from frequent or severe outbreaks of herpes, this news is extremely heartening.

There’s no magic number of outbreaks per year that health care providers use to determine when a patient should use suppressive therapy. The criteria for suppressive therapy generally entail how often the outbreaks occur and what impact they have in the patient’s ability to enjoy his or her life.

Here are some common antiviral drugs used in suppressive therapy for herpes:

Aciclovir is similar to valaciclovir. Like valaciclovir, aciclovir reduces the frequency of outbreaks and can reduce the window of time in which the patient is infectious to others. When used as a suppressive treatment, aciclovir is taken two-four times daily. Like valaciclovir, aciclovir can cause some mild side effects including nausea and diarrhea.

Aciclovir is currently used by about 30 million people worldwide, and has a good track record of safety. It was the first antiviral drug approved for the treatment of herpes, gaining approval in the 1980s. It’s also the cheapest and most readily available. Studies researching its effectiveness in reducing the chance of people infected with herpes catching HIV have had mixed to negative results.

Valaciclovir, commonly know as Valtrex, is an antiviral drug used in various treatments for herpes. When used as an episodic treatment, this drug helps sores heal faster and reduces the time period in which symptoms are painful. Also, it can help cut the time window in which the disease can be transmitted to a patient’s sexual partner. Episodic treatment is when you only treat the symptoms when they occur. Suppressive therapy is when you take steps to prevent occurrences.

When used as a suppressive treatment, valaciclovir is taken once or twice daily. Taking the drug can help reduce herpes outbreaks by up to 85 percent. Like any drug, valaciclovir has side effects. These side effects include nausea or headache, but in general side effects of valaciclovir tend to be mild.

Just because your partner is using valaciclovir doesn’t mean that you should stop using condoms during sexual intercourse. Valaciclovir can reduce the chance of spreading herpes, but the risk remains substantial. Consider it a secondary line of defense, with condoms being the first. This rule should apply for all other suppressive therapies as well.

Famciclovir is also used in both episodic and suppressive therapy. When used in suppressive therapy, patients take the drug up to twice per day to treat recurrent outbreaks. Side effects of famciclovir include headache and nausea.

All three of these treatments for genital herpes have good safety records. When determining what drug to use for suppressive therapy, health care providers take into account various factors such as medical history, allergies and effectiveness of the drug. A key benefit of valaciclovir is that it is more easily absorbed into the blood than the other drugs, requiring fewer doses than the other treatments. This may be beneficial for busy or forgetful patients.

When starting suppressive therapy, you should consult frequently with your doctor concerning the efficacy of the treatment, and how well you’re tolerating the side effects.

Because of the health risks herpes poses to unborn children, aciclovir is commonly prescribed to pregnant women who are infected with herpes. Tests have shown that the drugs risks to unborn children are minimal, and the benefits of using this drug far outweigh the risks posed by herpes. The drug has also been found to be safe for use during breast feeding.

Finding out you have herpes can be an extremely disturbing incident, but there is hope for people who have this unfortunate illness. Suppressive therapy is one of the best of these hopes, allowing infected persons to reduce their chances of having an outbreak, their chances of infecting another person, their chances of catching another STD and mitigating the very unpleasant symptoms of this illness.

Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that affects nearly a fifth of the U.S. population. Recognizing the symptoms of this illness, which are usually obvious, but can sometimes go unnoticed, is important to preventing its spread and treating and improving the quality of life for those who are impacted by it.

Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex 1 and herpes simplex 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) viruses, with the HSV-2 variant usually being the more severe form of the virus. While the symptoms of herpes can be quite severe, in most cases they’re not and many people infected with the virus have no idea that they’ve contracted it because of the mildness of their symptoms, and because it’s easy to confuse them with other ailments. Also, male and female herpes symptoms can be somewhat different, adding to the confusion.

Recognizing herpes symptoms is vital to preventing the spread of this illness, which can make one more susceptible to other, more serious STDs such as HIV, and because of the threat it can pose to unborn children.

Herpes in men

When most infected people contract herpes, they experience an outbreak in the genital area. Depending on the severity of the outbreak, it’s easy to mistake herpes for a rash or other skin condition. Herpes symptoms in men usually initially present with an uncomfortable tingling or itching in the genital or anal area. The infected area may also become swollen and produce red bumps on the buttocks, anus or penis. These bumps will eventually turn into blisters and then become open sores. The healing process from this outbreak begins when the sores eventually start to scab over.

The initial outbreak of herpes is usually the most severe, but some patients may have severe outbreaks after as many as 40 years after their initial outbreak.

There are a variety of other herpes symptoms in men. Burning during urination is one symptom of herpes that can be quite common among men. This occurs if the sores caused by the herpes outbreak become ulcers. Swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever and fatigue can also be other symptoms of herpes.

Herpes in women

In women, herpes symptoms are somewhat different. Women are much more likely than men to develop herpes symptoms other than the initial outbreak of blisters in the genital area. When women have a herpes outbreak, symptoms include blisters in various parts of the genital area, including the vulva, inside the vagina, the urethra and the cervix. Outbreaks in women tend to last longer than those in men, and also tend to be more infectious. Like men, women can also experience blisters from herpes in the area of the anus and buttocks.

As mentioned before, women tend to suffer more from the other symptoms of herpes than men. In fact, about 40 percent of men and 70 percent of women experience symptoms of herpes other than blisters and lesions. A flu-like illness that accompanies the initial outbreak of herpes is among these other symptoms. Also women are more likely to experience burning during urination than men. Also, like men, swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever and fatigue can also be other symptoms of herpes.

Although women often have more severe herpes symptoms than men, their symptoms can be easily confused with other problems such as yeast infection, cervicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease. Also, herpes lesions on the urethra may be mistaken for a bladder dysfunction or urinary tract infection. Because herpes symptoms usually go away after a few days or weeks, many women may not go to a health care provider for testing, and as a result, never find out that they have herpes.

People who think that they may have herpes should visit a health care provider as soon as possible. A simple blood test can determine whether the patient is infected with herpes. While a diagnosis of herpes can be very upsetting to patients, the illness is very treatable and with the appropriate care, people infected with herpes can lead healthy and satisfying lives. Suppressive therapy can minimize outbreaks and mitigate their severity, and other home care options such as avoiding heat, wearing loose fitting clothes and avoiding the use of scented soaps can help with herpes symptoms.

The rate of herpes infection among Americans has decreased in recent years thanks to increased awareness and testing and the use of suppressive therapy. Understanding the symptoms of herpes can help infected persons take action to prevent spreading the illness to non-infected persons and help non-infected persons avoid having unprotected sex with people who have herpes.