Herpes Simplex Virus Prevention

 Preventive measures against genital herpes includes immunity strengthening from one side and preventing infecting sexual partner from other side.

Main measure helping to strengthen the immune system is healthy lifestyle.

This includes regular balanced nutrition, sufficient physical activity, timely and adequate treatment of diseases.

Prevention of infecting with genital herpes may be achieved by usage of barrier contraceptives and maintaining hygiene of sexual life, in other words, being faithful to permanent partner.

Herpes Simplex Virus Treatment

Unfortunately, mankind does not know the remedy to completely remove DNA-containing virus from the body and there is no treatment for genital herpes.

However, modern medicine disposes of wide range of remedies that inhibit the activity of herpes virus for 5 – 10 years and thus herpes symptoms would not show themselves all this time.

Though there is impossible to treat completely herpes, it is important to address the doctor when you observe first signs of the disease.

There are several cases for that:

• the earlier herpes treatment is started the less chances it would turn into recurrent form. With right treatment of primary infection of herpes simplex virus there may be no recurrences and herpes may not show itself at all.
• many cutaneous eruptions are alike among themselves. Therefore exists a risk to mistake signs of genital herpes with most virulent diseases such as syphilis.
• timely and competent treatment of genital herpes would help to avoid complications that are more unpleasant and virulent.
• genital herpes treatment is able to ease patient's condition, it helps to remove itching and other unpleasant symptoms and signs which disturb patient's normal mental and physical condition.

Two ways of herpes treatment:
1) usage of specific antiviral medications to inhibit virus activity.
2) improvement of immunity condition. Usage of immunomodulators increases several times the effectiveness of antiviral therapy and helps to forget about recurrences for a long time.

Besides medical treatment patient must care for personal hygiene, healthy diet and his sexual partner. Therefore during treatment it is necessary to refuse from sexual life and besides this, patient's partner should also undergo examinations and, if necessary, get treatment.

Herpes Simplex Virus Diagnosis

Diagnostic methods of genital herpes mostly depend on what stage the patient goes to the doctor.

In case of common symptoms of genital herpes to make an accurate diagnosis it is enough to simply examine the patient.

Pain, itching, burning, appearing of bubble rash in genitals area even without laboratory tests may point to genital herpes.

If the picture of herpes is not so frank, there is need to make laboratory tests.

Laboratory tests for detecting genital herpes are divided in three groups:

• methods of detecting herpes simplex virus by growing the virus in chicken embryos
• methods of detecting herpes simplex  virus antibodies - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Recurrent Herpes Simplex Virus

After primary herpes simplex virus goes away (which occurs in 1 – 3 weeks even without treatment), the infection takes either hidden or recurrent form.

Recurrences in genital herpes may occur with different frequency from 3 – 4 times a month to 1 time in several months.

As a rule, recurrences of genital herpes occur in periods of body resistance lowering: after past diseases, overcooling, stress, physical and psychological loads.

Another recurrence in females may be connected with pregnancy and even with onset of periods.

Damage centers in recurrent herpes simplex virus usually have the same localization that primary infection has, but recurrence courses most frequently mildly.

In recurrence of genital herpes usually patient experiences no weakness, temperature and headache. In recurrent herpes simplex virus there is less rash and they are healed quicker – during 7 – 10 days.

Herpes Simplex Virus Symptoms

 Herpes simplex virus damages skin and mucous membranes (most often on face and genitals), central nervous system (meningitis, encephalitis), eyes (conjunctivitis, keratitis). Depending on time of patient's infecting with herpes simplex virus, genital herpes may be primary or recurrent. The symptoms differ.

Primary Herpes Simplex Virus
As a rule it courses without symptoms which leads to hidden virus carrying or development of herpes recidivicus. This asymptomic form is considered more dangerous because without experiencing symptoms a man continues to lead an active sex life infecting his partners. It should be noticed that in period of primary infection development herpes is most contagious.

Primary genital herpes usually appears in 1 – 10 days of incubation period and has more severe and prolonged course. Major herpes simplex virus has the same symptoms as most viral infections damaging skin and  mucous membranes such as rash in genitals area, on mucous membranes of genitals and adjoining skin areas, do appear groups of small bladders filled with liquid with redding of skin around them.

In 2 – 4 days contents of bladder do grow turbid and bladder break down forming madidans erosions or sometimes sores (after erosion drys, a crust appears on it), in 5 – 7 days the crust drops out and on the spot of erosion remains a patch.

Patients may suffer from itching and pains in damage center area.  In some cases itching appears as a signal symptom of herpes before rash appears on skin and mucous membranes. Other symptoms are common weakness, body temperature increase, painful increase of lymphatic glands, frequent urination, headache, muscle pains.

Acute period of primary herpes may achieves up to 3 -5 weeks. Typical localization of herpes simplex virus are genitals, rarely it may be mouth if infection occurred via oral contact with infected genitals.

In genital herpes the rash may occur not only externally on genitals but also on inner part of urethra or vagina, and also on thighs and legs. In females genital herpes often appears on buns and may be connected with oncoming of menstruation.

Primary genital herpes in 10 - 30% of cases may cause complications. Herpes simplex virus may damage nervous system, joints, pelvic organs.