Herpes - The dormant virus

Herpes, one of the most common sexually transmitted disease, is caused by a DNA virus which has two types: herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or less commonly by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). The HSV1 often cause oral herpes while HSV2 is often associated with genital herpes.

This virus is transferred through open wounds, sores, infected oral cavity, and mucous. Science has still not found a way to cure herpes so its victims have to live with the disease for their entire lives.

The herpes virus has a characteristic called latency. Latency is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the state of dormancy. This is how the herpes virus works. Once it enters the body, it duplicates itself and multiplies, spreading the virus throughout the infected area. This infection can result to a number of symptoms such as fever, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, and most commonly sores.

When this happens, the human body alerts the immune system and helps to control the damage caused by the herpes virus. To counter this action, the herpes virus will enter the nerve system and hide in a nerve root called “ganglion.” In genital herpes, the virus withdraws in the base of the spine called the sacral ganglion. In the case of oral herpes, the virus hides on the top of the spine called trigeminal ganglion. Here, the virus lies dormant for an unspecific amount of time.

Biological factors can cause the virus to become active again. When this happens, the virus can cause bumps or skin irregularities. Recently scientists and researchers have discovered that the activation of the virus does not necessarily produce visible effects. These are called asymptomatic shedding which means that the symptoms occur in unusual places or mistaken for something else such as ingrown hair.

There are also what medicine calls “prodomes”, these call attention to the person that the virus has become active. This comes in the form of itching or burning sensation in the are where sores usually occur.

Recurrences can cause the aforementioned symptoms and are treated with antiviral medicine. Some people take antiviral medicine only when the virus is active – this is the episodic approach of therapy. This helps in lessening the pain of the sores and other symptoms while also helping in quickening the attack. Some, however, choose to take medication daily, which is called the suppressive therapy. Taking medication consistently will help prevent outbreaks or at least lessen it occurrence.

Living with herpes takes constant attention and alertness. Infected people should always be on the look-out as they never know when the virus could attack. They should also take necessary precautions such as always drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration in the case of oral herpes. Other trigger factors like sun exposure, stress, and weakened immune system should be minimized as not to help activate an outbreak.

Infected people should also go for routine check-ups to make sure of the status of their health. Also sometimes, the symptoms cannot be recognized by people with mo medical training or without the help of equipment. It is still best to make sure rather than be complacent with a disease like herpes.

One could never explain in crystal clear state what’s the look of herpes is. Sometimes, people may even confuse it from other bodily condition. Some of those illnesses which is highly associated is canker sores which is mistakenly recognized as oral herpes and bacterial or yeast infection which is wrongly regarded as a genital herpes. Many people are confused on how to differentiate the two and some doctors may even find it hard to tell apart one from the other.

The only reassuring fact to know the real condition is, most herpes no matter where they are located on the body do look the same. The only difference is that not all of herpes possess the same severity of condition and their location in the body may differ.

When the time when they see an unusual spot on their skin, they will begin to panic without knowing the real condition of their body. So do not fret the moment when you saw something odd on your body because it can be caused by sweat rash, jock itch, pimples, and even ingrown-hair so do not fret a lot because who knows you are only suffering from these mentioned conditions.

To rule out any possibility and to detect the real condition, it is always recommended to seek the help of a physician which may on the other hand ask the sufferer to undergo various tests to know the real root of the problem in order to decide on the medication which will be used.

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Sometimes topical creams are recommended most particularly on cases that are not yet that severe in form however some people may experience irritations on these drugs, when this happen, stop applying it on your skin and consult your doctor immediately. He may ask for further tests in order to provide the right medication for the problem.

Since most people are busy these days, a person may sometimes lack the time to wait for then a simple search on the internet will give you thousands of results to really know what is happening.
One factor that should be consider to know what the herpes looks like is to know if such spots on your skin disappears after a span of few days. Herpes do not come and go rather they stay permanently on the skin for a period of up to 6 weeks, and so if the problem continues to occur for more than a few weeks then it is about time to see a doctor for proper assessment.

Try to also determine what the condition of the breakout is, most herpes breakout progress into cut, blister, sore, or lesion.

Surely, the look of herpes is not an easy task to recognize since it may differ so much depending on how a person’s body reacts on the virus. There are even person who would not see any symptoms in their body. Do not self-medicate because it can endanger yourself, it is the best and only option to seek the help of a professional.

With science taking more steps towards medical breakthroughs each day, more and more herpes-infected individuals are hoping for a cure. Unlike other Sexually Transmitted Diseases that are treatable, herpes symptoms can only be suppressed. This means that once you get herpes, the virus stays with you for life; that is, until they find a cure.

Finding a cure to herpes becomes an even more pressing task, as 90 percent of people with herpes in America do not even know they have the disease. Considering that alarming piece of information, people should be made aware of the manifestations of herpes.

Herpes is a contagious disease transmitted through intercourse, be it oral, anal, or vaginal. A person may contract herpes by engaging in sexual acts with another person infected with herpes. There are two types of herpes, and both cause skin irritations. Other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, painful sex, painful urination, and vaginal discharge, among others.

Blisters and/or cold sores in and/or around the mouth characterize Type 1. This condition is caused by Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1). Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2), meanwhile, cause sores in the genital area; this condition is known as Type 2. While this type is more common among individuals with herpes, statistics show that the number of people with Type 1 herpes is slowly getting bigger.

Unfortunately for a person with herpes, the virus may suddenly manifest anytime. Sores appear when the virus attacks. Sores become warnings not to engage in sexual acts in order to prevent infecting more people. However, there are also cases when the sores do not appear even when a person is infected, and the only way to tell is by getting tested.

The last thing a person with herpes should do is stress out over the situation, since stress may also make the virus active. Presently, people with herpes should find peace of mind in the fact that there are available medications to keep the virus at bay.

A person with the disease may opt to take regular medication to keep the virus dormant.; this is called suppressive therapy. The patient is given daily medication to avert outbreaks. This means that even if the person shows no manifestations of the virus, he or she takes medication. Also, this type of medication reduces the risk of passing on the disease to another person. For people who experience six or more outbreaks in one year, suppressive therapy is a good option.

Other people with herpes only take medication when the virus is active. This is called episodic therapy, meaning medication is taken only as the outbreak occurs. Statistics show that 70 percent of people diagnosed with herpes experience only less than six outbreaks per year, and episodic therapy is the best option.

Another way to control herpes at the early signs of an outbreak is to use a topical genital herpes treatment. These treatments keep the virus inactive, thus lessening the length of an episode. However, one must be cautious about topical treatments; one should always consult with a doctor to get proper prescription. Moreover, herpes-infected areas should always be kept dry. It is advisable to wash hands after touching the infected area to avoid spreading the sores.

One virus that exists without cure is the herpes. Herpes is a virus in various forms. It usually causes blisters on the lips or genitals. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), one of the many species of the virus, is the cause of blisters on the face known as cold sores or fever blisters. Herpes simplex virus 1 can be acquired at an early age of 5.

It will then stays on the nerves in our body and become dormant. It will occasionally cause an outbreak, causing blisters near the original site of infection. Outbreaks can also happen with the other species of the virus. Also, the first outbreak after the infection is said to be harsher than the next outbreaks, since the body is unable to produce antibodies that can neutralize it.

Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), on the other hand, is the main cause of blisters on genitals. A person carrying the virus may spread the virus if the person produces and shreds the virus. This happens more likely while the person experiences an outbreak, although it may happen without an outbreak. Transmitting HSV occur when a person is in contact with another person who is shredding the virus through their saliva or secretions from the genitals. It can transmit even if the person does not show visible sores.

The virus can also be reactivated after being in a dormant state, caused by illnesses like cold and influenza, emotional and physical stress, fatigue or injury, eczema, gastric upset, exposure to bright sunlight and menstruation to women. There is no cure for this virus yet, but there are several methods that can help reduce the frequency of outbreaks. One method is the anti-viral medication.

The medication has anti-viral properties that are effective on skin infections like the HSV. Undecylenic acid is one of the chemicals used in the cream formulation of the anti-viral medication. There is also a vaccine known as Herpevac that is being researched upon in United States and Canada. Herpevac is proven to be 70% effective, but only on women. These are the only treatments known to prevent the herpes simplex virus, for now.

Herpes Simplex Viruses can also cause a viral disease known as the herpes simplex. It causes disorders based on the site of the infection. The disorders that the virus can cause are orofacial infection, genital infection, herpes whitlow, herpes gladiatorum, ocular herpes, herpes simplex encephalitis, neonatal herpes simplex, and viral meningitis.

Herpes simplex is also linked to Bell’s palsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Orofacial infection affects the face and mouth, visible by blisters. Genital infection affects the outer genitals of an individual. A symptom of the infection is the clusters of inflamed papules and vesicles and usually appears 4-7 days after sexual exposure to HSV. It may resemble cold sores.

Herpes whitlow is seen on fingers or thumbs, and sometimes in toes or nail cuticle of an infected individual. It is a painful infection caused by either HSV-1 or HSV-2. Herpes gladiatorum is acquired by people active in sports like soccer, wrestling and rugby. It is caused by the HSV-1 when it transfers to an individual to another by a direct contact. Ocular herpes affects the eye of an individual. It is seen by a white, itchy lesion on the surface of the cornea.

Herpes simplex encephalitis is known to be a serious disorder and a severe viral infection to the central nervous system. Neonatal herpes simplex is a very rare but serious condition, usually the effect of a vertical transmission of the HSV from the mother to the newborn child. Viral meningitis is caused by the HSV-2 that recurs and last for a few days or weeks. It is resolved without using any treatment.

Bell’s palsy was linked to the HSV-1 due to its more active presence on the saliva of the person with the Bell’s palsy. HSV-1 is said to increase the person’s risk to have Alzheimer’s disease. Disorders caused by herpes simplex is not life-threatening to people that are immunocompetent.

Herpes - This STD flies below the radar

Most people with genital or oral herpes are unaware that they have the sexually transmitted disease (STD). Even though herpes, which is caused by the herpes simplex virus, is one of the most common STDs, many cases have occurred that there were no symptoms of infection or the symptoms were mistaken for something else. This is why it is important to create awareness on how to know if you have herpes and how to prevent from catching it.

1-2 weeks is usually the amount of time when the incubation of the disease occurs. During this time, infected people may experience the first outbreak with symptoms which includes fever, muscle aching, swollen lymph nodes, dehydration for oral herpes, sores in the genital and surrounding areas, and sores on the lips, in the mouth, on the tongue, gums, cheeks and roof of the mouth.

Other symptoms would include headache, tingling or burning sensation, back pain, painful urination, and genital discharge. In oral herpes, sores in the oral cavity can cause significant amount of pain while eating or drinking.

The sores caused by herpes are medically called lesions. It can range from mild to severe, therefore preventing infected people from recognizing that they have been infected by the disease. Herpes is diagnosed using a number of tests which include Direct Flourescent Antibody (DFA) test, blood sampling, culture analysis, visual recognition, sampling of the sore for identification, and staining tests.

Herpes does not have a cure yet so recurrences should be anticipated. Recurrences are often less painful and severe than the first outbreak as the body has already developed some resistance to the virus. More than 50 percent of those who experienced the first outbreak are likely to have recurrences.

According to studies, there are several factors that may trigger recurrences. These factors include strong sun exposure, menstruation, damage to skin, weakened immune system, huge alcohol intake, and undue stress.

There are also warning signs that can help infected people to predict when an outbreak will occur. They should watch out for itching, numbing, fatigue, swelling of lymph nodes, back and leg aches, pain while urinating, and other flu-like symptoms.

Herpes is a disease for a lifetime, and therefore will need constant care and medication. Antiviral medication which comes as pills or topical medication is used to hasten the healing of the sores or outbreaks. These medicine can also be use to prevent outbreaks or at least lessen their frequency of occurrence.

Infected individual should also go for routine check-ups as sometimes the sores may appear as something else or perhaps not visible to the unaided eye. And sometimes, professional help is needed just in case, infected people, or first-time infected individuals have difficulty in recognizing the symptoms as it can be mistaken for mere abrasions, insect bites, hemorrhoids, ingrown hair, and yeast infection. Being sure is always the best way. Infected people should also take precaution when in contact with uninfected persons or during sexual activity. Vigilance is the best companion of herpes.

Chickenpox is a viral disease caused by the infection of a virus known as the varicella zoster virus or the herpes zoster. This illness is acquired normally at a young age, though there are still adults who get infected by this disease. It is characterized by painful skin rash with blisters on a limited area of a person’s body. After a person recovers from the chickenpox, the virus will stay on the body, in the nerve cells, and become dormant. It can be reactivated, causing another disease called shingles.

This happens very rarely, but it is known for a fact that immunodeficient individuals can reactivate the herpes zoster. Chickenpox is rarely-fatal, but it is worse on adults than it is on the children. Individuals with a suppressed immune system, such as pregnant women, are very susceptible to serious complications. Symptoms of chickenpox include headache, fever and malaise.

These symptoms are not enough to assess that a person has a chickenpox. If the individual shows these symptoms, and then had feels sensations of burning pain, itching, hyperesthesia (an abnormal increase of sensitivity of the senses through stimuli) or paresthesia (the condition of being sensitive to heat, cold, light or touch), then it won’t be long before the individual will have rashes on his or her body.

This would complete the symptoms and you can now properly assume that that person has chickenpox. After that, the rashes will start to form small blisters. These blisters will start to darken, as it is filled with blood. Afterwards, it forms a crust. When the crust falls off, as it usually does, the skin heals and the person is free from chickenpox, for now.

The crust forms within 7-10 days, so it will be long before a person can recover from chickenpox. Herpes zoster may add different symptoms, depending on the part of the body involved. If it gets to the eyes, the person gets the condition known as herpes zoster opthalmicus. Symptoms of this include keratitis, uveitis and optic nerve palsies. This could lead to loss of vision, or in other words, blinding. Herpes zoster oticus however, infects the ear. This may be the case if the person has hearing loss and rotational dizziness.

If the rashes appear, doctors only need to see the rashes to tell that a person has chickenpox. But if the rashes do not appear, laboratory tests will be used to diagnose the person. To treat herpes zoster, there is a need to limit the severity and duration of pain, reduce complications and shorten the event of shingles in the body. To do this, a person needs antiviral drugs to weaken the ability of the varicella zoster virus.

The standard treatment presently uses aciclovir, though the newly developed valaciclovir and famciclovir have proven to be more powerful and safer. Antiviral treatment is prescribed for use of immunodeficient individuals and it is more preferable to give the treatment 72 hours after the rashes appeared.

To prevent varicella zoster virus from infecting, a vaccine was created, known as the Zostavax. With these, a person gains antibodies to protect them from the virus, thus preventing chickenpox and shingle.