| Herpes Symptoms And Diagnosis |
| Written by Alice Johnson | |
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Genital herpes is spread from direct skin to skin contact from an infected person to a non-infected person. The disease is usually spread when the infected person is going through an outbreak, which results in sores and viral shedding in the general area of the genitals, however the disease can also be spread when the infected person is asymptomatic, which can account for much of the unwitting transmission of herpes. Genital herpes is a result of the herpes simplex virus, which comes in two variants, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-2 is usually the cause of genital herpes, while HSV- 1 is more often involved with oral herpes, or cold sores as they're commonly known. HSV-1 can also cause genital herpes, however. While herpes symptoms can be quite severe in some patients, in others symptoms can be minimal or none. Some patients can have the disease for decades before finding out that they have herpes. This ability of the disease to "fly under the radar" contributes to the spread of herpes. There are a variety of symptoms associated with genital herpes. Being able to identify them will better help people to determine if they have herpes, and if so, seek treatment for the disease. SymptomsThe earliest, and most obvious, symptom of herpes is an outbreak of blisters or bumps in the genital area. The outbreak usually develops between 2 and 21 days after the initial infection of herpes. In some cases the outbreak can be so mild it goes unnoticed, while in others the outbreak is quite severe. The outbreak manifests as small red bumps or sores in the genital area. Pain or itching around the buttocks, thighs or genital area is also quite common. The first outbreak is usually the most severe, but in some patients the first outbreak is so mild that it goes unnoticed.Once the initial outbreak has occurred, most infected persons experience recurrences of these symptoms of about two to six times per year. Once again, some infected persons are asymptomatic, and thus do not experience outbreaks. Other early symptoms of genital herpes include:
Subsequent outbreaks tend to be much less severe than the original outbreak and last for a shorter period of time. There's a variety of things that can trigger a recurrence of genital herpes symptoms including:
TestingBlood tests are the accepted general method of testing for genital herpes . The blood test can detect herpes, even if the patient is asymptomatic. When a blood test is done, a health care professional draws blood from the patient, and then examines the sample under a microscope for HSV antibodies. It's important to note that if the infection was recent, the blood test might not pick it up, because it takes a few weeks for HSV antibodies to show up in the blood.If you have sores on your genitals, health care professionals can take a sample from the infected area and perform a cell culture or direct fluorescent antibody test to determine whether you have herpes. These tests are also beneficial because they can determine whether you have the HSV-1 or HSV-2 variant of genital herpes. New tests are being developed that will be able to detect the presence of herpes by means of a urine or saliva test. These tests will be helpful in providing quicker and more efficient means of testing for herpes, particularly in low-tech areas such as developing nations, where sexually transmitted diseases are a serious health problem. |
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