What You Need to Know About Cold Sores & Herpes
Article by D Jones
The quantity of individuals around the world that find that they have herpes is staggering. Over 50% of the white population, over 70% of the African American population and over 60% of the Japanese population have herpes. Most people know that it is not the end of the world, but you would think it was by the way they react.
Most average citizens are familiar with cold sores and genital herpes. Cold sores or fever blisters from the waist up are manifested by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV 1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV 2) affects the area below the waistline. These are just two of a related group of seven viruses that are known to infect humans. Others include the Varicella-Zoster virus, commonly known as chicken pox and shingles. These viruses can be contacted in several ways. Sometimes it is picked up through sexual contact, by touching an active lesion, from handling objects like towels or utensils that a person with an active outbreak has handled or by an infected person coughing or sneezing around us. It is estimated that by the time children are 4 years old they are exposed to the herpes virus in some shape or form through day care, school groups and other kids activities.
Diagnosis of infection with either HSV1 or 2 can be established with a blood test known as the Western Blot test; this test can diagnose the presence of antibodies of either strain of HSV even if the patient does not have active lesions. Accuracy of this test is only 90-95% depending on the lab involved and could may result in either a false positive or a false negative. The most accurate diagnosis is with a physician taking the top off a fresh lesion, obtaining a swab from the base of the lesion and a lab growing a viral culture from it.
So What Do You Do Now That You Know You Have the HSV 1 virus?
First, you need to understand how the virus works. The usual route to infection is through an opening in the soft tissue around the mouth or nose and it will settle in the trigeminal nerve in the neck where it will lie dormant until some trigger activates it. When it becomes active the virus will travel back to where it entered the body and enter the nerve cells in the area forcing them to replicate the virus. Once the virus invades the cells swelling begins to occur which, along with a tingling sensation, will be your first indication that an outbreak is imminent.
The next stage is when the wound opens up. This is caused by the herpes virus destroying thousands of cells to release the newly replicated viruses. This is the ugly part of outbreaks, but it also signals the start of the healing phase which can last from 5-9 days. Be aware that during this phase that the cold sores are highly contagious. You can easily infect others or create new areas of infection on yourself. The infection can easily be spread to other areas of your body including your fingertips. Anywhere the herpes virus can get through the skin will create a new cold sore trouble area. Especially dangerous is getting the virus in your eyes. This can cause damage to the cornea.
Once you have contacted the herpes virus you are stuck with it for life. Research is ongoing to find a permanent cure, but because the virus hides out amongst the nerve cells it is difficult to find a way to remove it without damage to the surrounding cells. There are a number of products on the market to treat a cold sore outbreak both internally and externally that have varying degrees of success. What works for one person may not help the next person. There are treatments to control the duration and frequency of the outbreaks that will help you avoid the embarrassment and mental anguish that accompany them.
About the Author
Dave Jones is an author interested in health issues. You must visit his website at http://besttreatmentforcoldsores.weebly.com. Find out about the best treatments for cold sores and banish them in 3 days.
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