herpes facts

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The Neurological Impediments Connected To Genital Herpes

Highly responsible for neurological indisposition, genital herpes has managed to affect over 40 million individuals in the United States of America. This mind-boggling high number is said to be increasing at the rate of a million per year! Varicella zoster virus, herpes simplex virus type 1 and herpes simplex virus type 2, all have an impact on the patient’s nervous system. Below, we are talking about this in details:

The Initial Infection

Neurological diseases that are connected to genital herpes may get triggered due primary infection or the reactivation of the dormant genital herpes virus. Primary genital herpes in adolescents and adults can be void of symptoms, which is why they usually have no clue about it.

Dormancy and Reactivation

It is said that the neurons in the sacral ganglia are where the virus lies dormant. Although only the reactivation of oral herpes has only been studied so far, experts assume that the mechanism of that of genital herpes will not be too different. Dormant herpes infections reactivate with the help of systemic stimuli, via pathways that still have not been discovered or understood. It has been observed that most people struck with genital herpes shed a certain amount of the herpes virus, regardless of the reactivation of the virus.

The Neurological Difficulties

Not only is the meninges affected by the genital herpes virus by the occurrence of meningitis, the brain, nerve roots, retina, cranial nerves, etc. are affected too.

  • Neonatal Encephalitis
    About 70% of the infants that are infected by herpes are born to women who not only unaware of the fact that they had herpes, but also never showed any signs of the disease. At least 30% of the cases of herpes among infants are just oral herpes. There are several factors that prove to be risky for neonates, starting from the age of the mother to time during when the mother contracted herpes herself. Distribution of the virus to the central nervous system occurs in 70% of the herpes struck infants. Dispersed intravascular coagulations, skin lesions and unusual liver operation are observed in many of these neonates. Cranial MRIs show edema, then cystic encephalomalacia.
  • Recurrent Aseptic Meningitis Among Adults:
    This occurs due to herpetic mucocutaneous disorder, regardless of the presence of symptoms. From 19% to 42% patients experience meningitis with the first episode of type 2 herpes. Suppressive therapy could be used in this scenario: patient could take famciclovir, acyclovir sodium and valacyclovir hydrochloride. Many of these meningitis patients are known to complain about bad headaches, besides phases of total confusion.
  • Radiculopathy:
    40% of sacral dorsal root ganglia are seen having a latent form of herpes simplex virus type 2. This matter was unearthed during the autopsy of several individuals. Radiculopathy that is caused by genital herpes happens to affect specific areas, such as the sacral or lumbar nerve roots. Radiculopathy causes pain, leg weakness, constipation and even urinary retention. Radiculopathy could be cured in a matter of days or weeks, and could be hurried with the intake of antiviral drugs.
  • Retinal Necrosis:
    Shown with the presence of impaired vision and red eye, retinal necrosis seems to affect genital herpes patients (with a median age of about 20 years) and mostly older people. When examined properly, retinal necrosis shows retinal detachment, keratic precipitates and scleritis.
  • Ascending Myelitis:
    This is seen mostly in patients who have a weakened immune system, especially those who have already contracted the HIV virus. Along with pain and lesions, ascending myelitis also shows enlargement of the lower cord of the spine, added with limb numbness.
  • Cranial Neuropathy:
    The dysfunction of the cranial nerves leads to Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis. Even though there are experts who argue that Bell’s palsy cannot occur due to genital herpes, there are others who accept that varicella zoster virus and herpes simples type 1 virus do in fact cause Bell’s palsy. Whoever has such cases are recommended to take antiviral drugs everyday.

Connection Between Genital Herpes and HIV

Recent studies have found a connection between genital herpes virus and HIV. It seems that if you have genital herpes, there is twice or thrice the chance of you acquiring HIV too. Moreover, if you do have genital herpes and you are taking antiviral drugs as part of suppressive therapy, the RNA levels of HIV will show a significant drop too.

Treatment

Vidarabine phosphate was actually the first agent that showed efficacy when it came to treating herpes. After two large studies done on acyclovir, it was chosen as part of standard treatment/therapy for all herpes patients. An oral intake of valacyclovir is also recommended, along with the acyclovir.

Infants could take acyclovir sodium, while patients of meningitis, radiculitis and myelitis could have it too.

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Top 10 Questions About Herpes Answered

Herpes could be quite a confusing condition, often accompanied and unaccompanied by a bunch of distinguishable symptoms. If you wish to understand if you have contracted it, or merely wish to learn of this ailment, take a look at the following questions and answers.

1. What is Herpes?

Herpes is a condition that is cause by the herpes simplex virus, seen as two types: oral herpes and genital herpes. The first type appears as sores or blisters around the mouth region, also known as HSV-1. The second type of herpes is also known as HSV-2, affecting the genital area. Know more about what is herpes from this post.

2. What Causes Herpes?

Herpes Questions and AnswersType 1 or oral herpes occurs due to a normal cold, often passed on when engaging in oral sex. Type 2 or genital herpes occurs due to any sexual contact, acting upon the genital regions. If you happen to share towels, cutlery, and similar materials, there is a chance of you spreading the virus to others.

3. How Common is Herpes?

Surprisingly, it is quite common, occurring in about one in six people in the United States of America. However, this is only for individuals that fall in the following age range: 15-50. Unfortunately, at least 80-90% of the people suffering from this condition do not know about it, especially because the symptoms are not always present.

4. How to Figure Out if I Have this Problem?

If you suspect yourself of having genital herpes, you could do well by visiting the doctor. If you have sores in your private region, your doctor could take samples for testing to confirm the presence or absence of the herpes simplex virus. Basically, this test is a blood test which detects the presence of antibodies for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 virus. The said antibodies are produced in the body only if you suffer from the condition.

5. Is there an Effective Cure for Herpes?

So far, no legitimate cure has been discovered for herpes. There are several entities, websites and companies that might claim to have a magical remedy or another. However, none of these claims are true. The only thing that could be done for the case of herpes is treatments for the control and prevention of outbreaks.

6. If Someone Has Herpes, Does that Mean They Also Suffer from AIDS?

That is not necessarily correct. However, people who have herpes have a higher chance of acquiring AIDS, rather than those who do not suffer from herpes. As a matter of fact, polls and surveys carried out in the United Kingdom have proved that at least 52% of the individuals suffering from herpes also happen to suffer from AIDS.

7. Can Genital Herpes Cause my Death?

No, genital herpes does not happen to be a deathly condition. However, if you happen to have contracted herpes, there are chances that you will also acquire the HIV virus, whose cure has still not been found.

8. Can Herpes Affect Me Emotionally and Socially?

You might get anxious or scared if you acquire herpes. However, these feelings are not the effects of the ailment. You could always speak to experts in the case of anxiety in order to feel at ease and to educate yourself about your condition.

9. Could I Donate Blood if I have Herpes?

According to researchers and experts, the virus is not found in the blood. Therefore, it is safe to assume that you could donate blood whenever you wish to. Click here to view the complete answer.

10. How Could I Protect Myself and my Partner from Herpes?

Probably the best method to prevent the development of genital herpes is by abstaining from sexual intercourse. Although you could delve in safe sex with the use of latex condoms, there are chances of still contracting the disease.

If you wish to prevent transmission then you would have to use separate towels and clothing. If you do wish to share materials, you could always use hot water and bleach to disinfect them first.

It is extremely important that you maintain good hygiene at all times, always remembering to wash hands and covering the sores and lesions.

Lastly, never forget that just because you cannot get involved with someone sexually, it does not mean that you cannot create a great, deep, lasting bond with him or her.

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What is Herpes: What You Need to Know about the Stigmatized STD

What Is It?

Herpes simplex viruses could be sorted into two categories: herpes type 1 and herpes type 2. Herpes type 1 is also known as oral herpes or HSV-1. On the other hand, herpes type 2 is also recognized as genital herpes or HSV-2. Oral herpes has earned its name due to the sores or blisters that appear around the mouth or inside it. Genital herpes is a condition that gets its name because of the sores that could be seen on the genitals or even the rectum.

What Causes Herpes?

Despite the paranoia about the matter, it is not possible to acquire herpes 1 or 2 by using the same toilet seat that was used by an infected person. However, it definitely is possible to get herpes 1 if you happen to share the likes of cutlery and toothbrushes with them, due to the oral secretions and sores. Herpes 2 generally spreads when one has any sort of sexual contact with a patient. Also, there are many people who have a dormant herpes simplex virus in their body, which could become active at some point or another, due to the following reasons:

  • Emotional or physical trauma
  • Menstruation, for the case of females
  • Exhaustion
  • General sickness, ranging from the flu to more serious diseases and medical conditions

Who Are Most At Risk?

You must understand that one could attain herpes, despite age and gender. The higher the chances of you coming in contact with a herpes patient, the greater are the chances of you picking it up too. According to experts, women are an elevated risk of obtaining the disease. The same could be said for individuals with a weak or compromised immune system, often the result of being ill due to another condition.

Complications Of Herpes

Unfortunately, there are a handful of complications if someone develops herpes, a few of which have been mentioned as follows:

  • If you happen to have genital herpes, you have a higher possibility of acquiring another sexually transmitted disease.
  • The lining of the rectum could become swollen, a condition known as proctitis. This happens mostly in the case of sexual acts between two men.
  • Foetuses have a chance of attaining this disease if their mother already has it.
  • In exceptional cases, the patient also acquires meningitis.

Some Signs To Recognize Herpes

Generally, herpes does not need a laboratory test to be recognized; it could be identified by the formation of sores or blisters around the infected areas, such as the mouth and the genitals. Other signs of genital herpes include itching and a burning sensation and discomfort during urination.

In the case of certain people, a condition known as herpes keratitis may occur, affecting the eyes. This causes a gritty feeling in the eyes, alongside pain and certain discharges. Other people have flu-like symptoms when they acquire herpes, such as fever, lack of appetite, headaches, swelling of lymph nodes and much more.

Diagnosis Of Herpes

Usually, doctors could recognize herpes from the tell-tale signs. However, a few doctors take a test called herpes culture, in order to be certain of the problem. This is helpful for those few patients who do not have blisters when suffering from herpes.

Treatment For Herpes

There happens to be no legitimate cure for herpes today. However, there are drugs that could help minimize the probability of repetitions of the breakout of herpes, nurse sores and blisters and reduce the chances of transmitting the disease to someone else. Some of these drugs include Valtrex, Zovirax and Famvir. These medications need to be prescribed by doctors before they could be taken.

Prevention Of Transmission Of Herpes

As a human being, it is your responsibility to prevent any sorts of transmission of herpes to people around you, if you happen to be a patient. Individuals suffering from genital herpes need to keep away from having sexual contact with others. And those afflicted with oral herpes need to keep away from kissing, sharing cutlery, clothes, make-up products and utensils, or even engaging in oral sex. Women who have herpes could always contact their doctor, get medications prescribed to keep the disease from affecting their growing baby. Any infected skin should always be kept clean, medicated and covered.