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.

What Are the Dangers of Herpes Virus

Genital herpes is dangerous with its complications which more often occur in women – it is found in each forth women suffering from recurrent genital herpes. Genital herpes complications may be local affecting only genital area, but may be systemic affecting whole body.

Local complications in women are excessive dryness of mucosa of pudendums and formation of painful bloody fissures, damage of posterior labial commissure and mucosa of vaginal orifice.

Similar symptoms may appear not at once but in several years after onset of active herpetic process. They are not dangerous but they complicate woman's sexual life and bring unpleasant and painful sensations.

Besides genitalia area in herpetic process may be involved nervous system and complications here occur quite frequently. In patients may appear pains in underbelly and crotch, pains may spread to lumbar region and rectum. This pain syndrome in genital herpes is caused by the damage of particular nervous formations causing burning sensations in patient.

Frequent recurrences of genital herpes dramatically reduces the immunity of patient. This may result in activation of pathogenic bacterial flora (staphylococcus, colon bacterium) causing development of such diseases as bacterial urethritis, prostatitis and vesiculitis. It is quite difficult to treat these diseases in case of low immunity.

Most severe herpes complications are connected with so called herpes neonatorum which may cause child's death and steady neurological disorders. Herpes neonatorum occurs in case of fetus infection during pregnancy or baby infection during his passing through mother's birth canal.

Recently was proved the connection between genital herpes and appearing of cervical cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Keep in mind that timely treatment of genital herpes excludes the probability of complications.

Ways of Transmission of Herpes Virus Infection

Genital herpes is caused by two serotypes of herpes simplex: HSV-1 and HSV-2. The disease is transmitted mainly during sexual intercourse with a person diseased with genital herpes. Often genital herpes is transmitted from people with no symptoms or people who does not know they are infected.

Genital herpes rarely is transmitted other than via sexual intercourse, however, there were cases when infecting occurred via saliva, personal hygiene products and underwear. Those ways of infecting have low-probability and may occur during a very close contact with infected person who is in acuity disease. There is impossible to get infected via water-closet seats, swimming pools, common ware and towels.

Besides transmission of HVI via direct path also is possible infecting during organs transplantation, blood transfusion and during direct contact with mucosa or blood of the diseased person in acute stage. In this case danger of infection with genital herpes may lie in wait for such health professionals as gynaecologist, surgeon, dentist.

Herpes is one of most spread human viral infections. More than 90% of people worldwide are infected with herpes simplex virus and 20% among them have various clinical manifestations of the infection. More often from genital herpes do suffer women – the occurrence among women is six time higher than in men.

Moreover, in the middle of XX century HSV-1 and HSV-2 were clearly distinguished by localization, now more frequently occur cases when genitalia of both partners is infected with both types of herpes.

Therefore, today many tests, that help to detect herpes simplex virus, react on both virus types without differentiating. In 40% of cases primary infection with herpes occurs in early childhood. In this case herpes simplex virus is transmitted via airborne from relatives with active signs of herpes infection.

Factors provoking herpes virus infection:
1. lowering of immune responsiveness
2. overcooling and overheating of the body
3. cold-related diseases
4. such medical procedures as abortions or insertion of intrauterine device
5. stress
6. hormonal changes
7. alcohol

Common Info About Herpes Virus Infection

Herpes is known from long ago. For the first time it was described by Hippocrates who introduced into practice the term “herpes” from Greek meaning “creeping”. The disease got this name for its creeping character.

Herpetic skin damage were well known not only to antic and medieval physicians but also to simple people because herpes was one of most wide spread infections. However, only in 1924 scientists have proved viral nature of the disease and detected its pathogen - herpes simplex virus.

Genital herpes is known from 1736 when it was for the first time described by a French court physician  and the disease beard the name of “royal disease”. Today genital herpes morbidity in Russia, as well as in the whole word, permanently increases that is connected with spread of asymptomic and adiagnostic form of the disease.

Herpetic viruses belong to group of viruses that remain in the body for the whole life after they once entered it. Virus may live whole life in the human body without showing itself. Usually herpes manifestations or their absence depend on condition of immune system of virus carrier and his common health.

Herpes shows itself most frequently during ARVI, influenza or other diseases and conditions that weaken the immunity. Normal immunity or its right correction along with keeping to particular norms of healthy lifestyle help to prevent viruses from activation.