Home Men's Health How Serious Is HSV1?

How Serious Is HSV1?

by Glenn Fitzpatrick
HSV1 and medications

When you test positive for HSV1, it means that you have a sexually transmitted disease. HSV stands for herpes simplex virus, and it causes lifelong infection. This means that once you’ve contracted the virus it cannot be cured.

Nevertheless, for most adults, the disease is not that serious. However, you may experience uncomfortable symptoms, especially if you’re prone to cold sore outbreaks. Read on to find out more about Herpes.

Overview

There are two known types of HSV or herpes simplex virus. In the past, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) was closely associated with oral herpes, while genital herpes was linked to HSV2. Recently, however, the cases of oral herpes caused by HSV2 and genital herpes caused by HSV1 have increased.

This means that either type of herpes virus can cause oral or genital herpes, and the site of infection will depend on how you contracted the disease. Once you get infected, you’ll most likely experience an outbreak of blisters.

When you have oral herpes, blisters may form inside your mouth, on your nose, cheek, or chin. Most of the time, though, oral herpes causes blisters to form on or around the lips. These are typically called cold sores. The herpes virus is actually present in the fluid inside the blisters.

How Is HSV1 Transmitted?

Because it’s a sexually transmitted disease, many people believe that you can only contract oral herpes when you have sex with someone who’s positive for HSV1. In truth, however, the virus can be spread through other means.

sweet couple piggyback and kisses

In fact, a lot of people who got infected with HSV1 caught the disease because someone who had cold sores kissed them. Because people with oral herpes shed the virus, it’s also possible to contract the disease from someone who doesn’t have cold sores.

Viral shedding means that your body is releasing the activated virus. Anyone who happens to have direct skin contact with you may catch the virus and become infected as well. What’s even more problematic is that herpes viral shedding can happen even when you’re not showing any symptoms.

If you have herpes, you can spread the virus not only to other people but to other parts of your body as well. You may end up causing the virus to spread to your hands and eyes if you always pick at your cold sores just because they feel itchy or painful.

When the herpes virus also causes blisters to form on your fingers, the condition is referred to as herpetic whitlow. If herpes blisters grow around your eyes or on your cornea, it’s referred to as ocular herpes.

Possible Complications

If it’s just cold sores, you won’t need to worry too much. Cold sores can be easily managed. In fact, they can just heal on their own even without any treatment. It becomes problematic, however, when the virus spreads to other parts of your body.

In newborn babies, for instance, the herpes virus can travel to the brain and cause the brain to become inflamed. Herpes encephalitis is a serious condition, and it needs to be treated right away.

If untreated, herpes encephalitis can cause more complications such as seizures and neurological damage, and can even lead to mortality. Herpes encephalitis is actually the number cause of nonepidemic encephalitis in the United States.

For those who have oral herpes, it’s really important to refrain from touching or picking at your cold sores. If you happened to rub your eyes right after touching your cold sores, you might develop ocular herpes.

Eye herpes or ocular herpes can be more worrisome than simple cold sores. For one, it can cause pain and inflammation in your eyes. If herpes blisters grow on your cornea, it can definitely affect your vision. If the blisters grow deep inside your cornea, you can even lose your vision.

For those whose immune system is compromised, being infected with HSV1 can lead to widespread body infection. If you’re suffering from cancer, HIV, or atopic dermatitis, you should be extra careful not to get infected with herpes, as it can cause severe complications.

Things to Remember

Although infection with HSV1 can lead to several complications, you won’t need to worry about them as long as you’re careful.

  • Don’t pick at or touch your cold sores

Every time you catch yourself touching your cold sores, wash your hands immediately so that you don’t end up causing the virus to spread to other parts of your body.

  • Boost your immune system

When your immune system is weakened due to stress, an unhealthy diet, or other diseases and infections, your body won’t be as effective in fighting off the herpes virus. Hence, you may become prone to frequent outbreaks of herpes blisters.

  • Avoid direct skin contact with other people who have herpes
woman pushes husband away

Even if you’re already HSV-positive, it doesn’t mean that it’s absolutely alright to be intimate with someone who has cold sores. If you do, it can trigger another cold sore outbreak for you.

  • Avoid kissing

If you and your partner both have cold sores at the same time, you may think that it’s alright to kiss since you both have the virus anyway. Nevertheless, try to avoid kissing someone whenever you have cold sores.

  • Avoid oral sex

Oral sex is one of the factors why there are more cases of genital herpes caused by HSV1. When you give oral sex, you won’t be able to prevent your cold sores from getting in direct contact with your partner’s genitals. You’re basically putting your partner at risk when you do so.

Try limiting yourself to vaginal sex instead. As long as your cold sores do not touch your partner’s skin, you lessen the chances of your partner catching the virus from you. It would be even better if you both can wear protective barriers.

Don’t worry, vaginal sex isn’t altogether prohibited even when you have cold sores. To ensure that you’re able to give the best performance in the bedroom, remember to take Male UltraCore to boost your libido and enhance your erection quality.

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