Herpes: Where did the mines come from and what to do about it

Herpes: Where did the mines come from and what to do about it

For most people, diagnosing genital herpes (Herpes Simplex Virus 2 or HSV2) is a shock. For others, the diagnosis may be confirmation of the doubts they have about their health or the behavior of their partner. Seeking to answer the question of how the patient has the condition often leads to seeking blame and then self-blame. Living with herpes is something that may initially require some psychological adaptation for some patients. It doesn't necessarily mean the end of your sex life or that you'll need to stay single for the rest of your life.

First, HSV2 and HSV1, known as the cold sore virus, are just two of an associated group of seven viruses known to infect humans. Other types include the Varicella-Zoster virus, known as chickenpox, and herpes zoster. Herpes simplex virus infection 1 or 2 can be diagnosed through a blood test known as the West Spot Test. The positive side of this test is that a patient who does not have active lesions can be diagnosed by the presence of antibodies to either strain. The accuracy of this test is only 90-95% depending on the laboratory in question. Some cases have occurred where patients have been diagnosed with either a false positive or a false negative. The most accurate diagnosis is with the doctor removing the top of the new lesion, obtaining a swab from the base of the lesion, and a laboratory that grows a viral culture from it.

HSV2 traditionally includes infections in the genital areas, in which the virus is latent in the sacral nerve at the base of the spine during periods when the patient does not have lesions. Herpes simplex virus 1 usually includes infections around the mouth and nose and remains latent in the trigeminal nerve in the neck during the inactive stages of the disease. Current epidemiological studies across the Western world indicate that the rate of HSV2 infection is about one in eight people or 12% of the population. Only one in five of those infected with antibodies has been diagnosed.

In fact, in a room of forty people, five of them have HSV2 but only one knows they have it. Three of the five may have isolated symptoms once or twice. This would have seemed so insignificant that they mistakenly thought it was a pimple, infected hair follicles, or a boil. The last one in five is someone who has never had symptoms and may never have. For this patient and the other three undiagnosed patients, accusations of infection (generally followed by accusations of infidelity) from the partner are often met with counter-accusations and disbelief. A conservative estimate of the world population with HSV1 antibodies and the ability to infect others is about 90%. Of these, almost 45% of the symptoms. If you have been diagnosed with any of the infections.

People have received messages about safe sex and changed some of their practices, believing that only penetrated sex requires safe sex. Sexual health professionals now report that half of the diagnosis of the new herpes simplex virus in clinics has been microbiologically confirmed as HSV1 on the genitals, in the general population, it is now estimated that 20% of all cases of genital herpes infection are HSV1. On the positive side of an infected patient, when the HSV virus does not live in its ideal host environment (e.g. genital HSV1 infection, oral HSV2 infection) the infection has generally been documented to be less severe and occurs less frequently.

Another mistake many patients make is to assume that they are not contagious during a dormant or asymptomatic phase of their illness. Studies have shown that even when a couple is clinically incompatible (i.e., one is positive and the other negative) and uses what is known as standard therapy to reduce risk to partners, the transmission once a12 months is still 10%. Infection control management involves using condoms during all sexual encounters and completely abstaining from sex during the stages of a positive partner's symptoms. Interestingly, sexual health experts report that if one partner remains negative for 10 years in a clinically incompatible partnership, they are less likely to develop the disease after this time.

A true primary infection of HSV2 can last up to ten days, it involves a systemic response, in which all the glands in the body are swollen as if the patient had the flu, as well as burning of the genitals, itching, pain with urination or complete inability to urinate. Many patients think that they have a primary infection, but the severity of the symptoms indicates to the doc this is actually a recurrence. In these cases, the patient's initial infection may be asymptomatic, but for some reason, they become exhausted and their immune system does not respond as it did when they were first infected. These repetitions and subsequent recurrences of HSV2 usually take about five days, unless there is a serious deficiency in the immune system. In this casee attending physician should refer the patient for further examinations.

Since the transmission of the herpes simplex virus requires skin-to-skin contact and viral shedding occurs, herpes simplex virus 2 infections are usually limited specifically to the genitals. The affected areas include the vulva and labia in women, and the s and scrotum in men, due to which penetrating intercourse is completely localized. The patient is infected with the tHSV1 virus on the genitals, the area is usually larger and the distribution of vesicles is more extensive due to the oral contact between the skin and the skin covering a wider surface area of the genitals. Both viruses can be effectively treated with antiviral drugs.

As mentioned earlier, each virus has its ideal host environment. For a patient infected with the HSV1 virus on the genitals, this means that the subsequent infection is usually less virulent, and in some cases may recur only once or twice in their lives. For a patient infected with the HSV2 virus on the genitals, the recurrence rate can vary significantly. Recurrence is associated with the health of the immune system. Triggering factors may include stress, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, sunburn, and the menstrual cycle in some women. During the first year of infection, the number of recurrences may range from one to twelve, with an average of four to five. During subsequent years, the immune system responds better, and the patient learns what will lead to its recurrence, usually trying to avoid it. After all Triggering factors may include stress, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, sunburn, and the menstrual cycle in some women. During the first year of infection, the number of recurrences may range from one to twelve, with an average of four to five. During subsequent years, the immune system responds better, and the patient learns what will lead to its recurrence, usually trying to avoid it. Ultimately, most patients can experience one to two recurrences per year. Also, since the patient learns to better recognize the symptoms of impending recurrence, he is able to administer antiviral drugs ahead of time. This can reduce the length and duration of the seizure, possibly completely preventing lesions. It is important for the patient to remember that although recurrence is avoided, he still gets rid of the virus and is still likely to be contagious to his partner.

Maintenance doses of antivirals can be taken daily to reduce the number of repetitions. Up to 50% of patients undergoing these treatments reported no recurrence of the disease within a 12-month period. When this treatment is stopped, patients will almost certainly experience recurrence within three weeks. This is generally followed by a decrease in the number of annual repetitions. There are few patients who have needed this preventive treatment with antiviral drugs continuously since they first became available, more than 15 years ago, in previous forms. With reduced frequency and severity, most patients eventually reconcile with their diagnosis. For some, this is never the case, sexual health doctors report that they need to refer between 10-20% of their patients for further psychological counseling.

What is important, no matter how well patients cope with the initial diagnosis, is to ensure access to information. This can be easily and anonymously obtained from www.herpes.com, www.herpeshelp.com, or www.genitalherpes.com these sites contain up-to-date facts as well as links to other sites. These provide names and contact details for support groups, local clinics, and sexual health professionals. Although the herpes simplex virus type II is a lifelong infection, with proper management and care, it is not necessarily a symptom, and should not hinder the patient from enjoying a long-term loving and secure relationship.