Herpes: The virus that treats you better than a dog
Infection with the herpes virus is a Catholic wedding - for life. Occasionally the virus may erupt and cause lip and genital wounds. It can be healed without treatment, but medication shortens suffering
What is Herpes?
Herpes is the name of a family of viruses (viruses), the most common (and most commonly known) is type 1 herpes, which is the main cause of the disease that is expressed in labial herpes lesions.
Other members of this family are type 2 herpes, which mainly causes genital herpes (genital herpes) disease, the varicella virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles. The EBV virus (which causes the kiss disease) and the CMV virus (which can harm the fetuses) also belong to this family.
What is special about this family?
All viruses in this family share a common feature: their ability to be latent, meaning their ability to "fall asleep" within the body and "flare up" occasionally. This is the reason for recurrent herpes in the lips or genitals, and this is why shingles may appear many years after a chickenpox outbreak (this is the same virus). That is, there is no way to get rid of the virus after we have contracted it, just hope that it will "fall asleep" for a long time. And that is what usually happens.
Herpes 1 and Herpes 2 - What Do They Do?
Its most common cause of the herpes virus 1 is herpes labial herpes, commonly called "cold sores". After the virus is infected, the incubation period between the infection and the first signs is between two and 10 days. After incubation, painful blistering lesions appear in the oral cavity (mainly in the first event) or on the lips (mainly in recurrent events). Occasionally the lesions also appear in the nostrils and sometimes in the genitals, similar to herpes 2, most often as a result of unprotected oral sex with a patient.
The disease is characterized by a tingling sensation that precedes the appearance of the lesions. Then small, blistering blisters appear, exploding later, stagnating and finally from ice cream and healing. This entire process takes the first time between one and two weeks. Sometimes, such an initial event is accompanied by fever, muscle pain and swelling of the local lymph nodes.
In the same way, herpes virus 2 causes the same disease, but it is expressed in lesions of the genital organs and more often also in the lips and oral cavity (similar to herpes 1) - most often as a result of unprotected oral sex with a patient. The first event of herpes 2 may also be accompanied by heat and intense pain. Sometimes the pains are so intense that they interfere with urination.
However, about 20% of people infected with herpes have no clinical manifestation of their disease. In the absence of any sign that 20% are not at all aware of their illness, which is discovered - if at all - at random, following a blood test.
Other diseases that cause herpes 1 (and sometimes also herpes 2) are inflammation of the cornea, inflammation of the brain or skull nerves, newborn disease, or people with severe immune system depression. These are all serious and rare diseases.
And what happens after the first event?
The virus enters its latent phase, which means "going to sleep" inside the body. In some people, the virus will never catch fire, and the only way to know that the virus has been exposed is through a blood test to point it out (it's not really important to know that). In others, another flare-up will occur or more flare-ups occur during the subsequent years. The recurring events are usually easier in severity, and shorter in duration. This is true for both herpes flare and herpes flare, regardless of the infection location.
What determines if there are repeated flare-ups?
There is no way to predict who gets infected and who doesn't. Mental or physical stress, sun and dry exposure, cold exposure, heat sickness (hence the name "heat sores") or local trauma - all of which can be a catalyst for an outbreak. Some people, before stressful exams, will experience a flare, some will return from a ski vacation or long seaside with inflamed lips (every good thing has a price ...), and some will simply not know what the accelerating factor was for them.
Is it common?
is very. It is estimated that about 90% of the adult population of developing countries was exposed to herpes 1. In the developed countries, the rate of exposure to the virus reaches about 50% of the population.
How do you get infected?
The virus is found in the fluid in the bladder and passes directly from person to person (for example, kissing and sexual intercourse). Genital infection with the herpes virus is considered a sexually transmitted disease, as it passes from person to person through sexual contact.
The spread of the virus and infection occur mainly when the patient has a blister, ie active lesions, but there may be infection by saliva even during the latent periods when the virus is dormant, and there is no sign of it. However, the degree of infection is significantly less during these periods compared to the periods when there are blisters.
Infection with the herpes virus is a Catholic wedding - for life. Occasionally the virus may erupt and cause lip and genital wounds. It can be healed without treatment, but medication shortens suffering
What is Herpes?
Herpes is the name of a family of viruses (viruses), the most common (and most commonly known) is type 1 herpes, which is the main cause of the disease that is expressed in labial herpes lesions.
Other members of this family are type 2 herpes, which mainly causes genital herpes (genital herpes) disease, the varicella virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles. The EBV virus (which causes the kiss disease) and the CMV virus (which can harm the fetuses) also belong to this family.
What is special about this family?
All viruses in this family share a common feature: their ability to be latent, meaning their ability to "fall asleep" within the body and "flare up" occasionally. This is the reason for recurrent herpes in the lips or genitals, and this is why shingles may appear many years after a chickenpox outbreak (this is the same virus). That is, there is no way to get rid of the virus after we have contracted it, just hope that it will "fall asleep" for a long time. And that is what usually happens.
Herpes 1 and Herpes 2 - What Do They Do?
Its most common cause of the herpes virus 1 is herpes labial herpes, commonly called "cold sores". After the virus is infected, the incubation period between the infection and the first signs is between two and 10 days. After incubation, painful blistering lesions appear in the oral cavity (mainly in the first event) or on the lips (mainly in recurrent events). Occasionally the lesions also appear in the nostrils and sometimes in the genitals, similar to herpes 2, most often as a result of unprotected oral sex with a patient.
The disease is characterized by a tingling sensation that precedes the appearance of the lesions. Then small, blistering blisters appear, exploding later, stagnating and finally from ice cream and healing. This entire process takes the first time between one and two weeks. Sometimes, such an initial event is accompanied by fever, muscle pain and swelling of the local lymph nodes.
In the same way, herpes virus 2 causes the same disease, but it is expressed in lesions of the genital organs and more often also in the lips and oral cavity (similar to herpes 1) - most often as a result of unprotected oral sex with a patient. The first event of herpes 2 may also be accompanied by heat and intense pain. Sometimes the pains are so intense that they interfere with urination.
However, about 20% of people infected with herpes have no clinical manifestation of their disease. In the absence of any sign that 20% are not at all aware of their illness, which is discovered - if at all - at random, following a blood test.
Other diseases that cause herpes 1 (and sometimes also herpes 2) are inflammation of the cornea, inflammation of the brain or skull nerves, newborn disease, or people with severe immune system depression. These are all serious and rare diseases.
And what happens after the first event?
The virus enters its latent phase, which means "going to sleep" inside the body. In some people, the virus will never catch fire, and the only way to know that the virus has been exposed is through a blood test to point it out (it's not really important to know that). In others, another flare-up will occur or more flare-ups occur during the subsequent years. The recurring events are usually easier in severity, and shorter in duration. This is true for both herpes flare and herpes flare, regardless of the infection location.
What determines if there are repeated flare-ups?
There is no way to predict who gets infected and who doesn't. Mental or physical stress, sun and dry exposure, cold exposure, heat sickness (hence the name "heat sores") or local trauma - all of which can be a catalyst for an outbreak. Some people, before stressful exams, will experience a flare, some will return from a ski vacation or long seaside with inflamed lips (every good thing has a price ...), and some will simply not know what the accelerating factor was for them.
Is it common?
is very. It is estimated that about 90% of the adult population of developing countries was exposed to herpes 1. In the developed countries, the rate of exposure to the virus reaches about 50% of the population.
How do you get infected?
The virus is found in the fluid in the bladder and passes directly from person to person (for example, kissing and sexual intercourse). Genital infection with the herpes virus is considered a sexually transmitted disease, as it passes from person to person through sexual contact.
The spread of the virus and infection occur mainly when the patient has a blister, ie active lesions, but there may be infection by saliva even during the latent periods when the virus is dormant, and there is no sign of it. However, the degree of infection is significantly less during these periods compared to the periods when there are blisters.
