Herpes Symptoms

Understanding herpes complications

Written by Alice Johnson

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that affects more than 45 million -- or one in five adolescent and adult -- Americans. The illness is caused by the HSV-1 or HSV-2 virus. Herpes causes pain and itching in the genital area and its most visible symptom is sores that appear around the patient's genital area and/or rectum. These sores can be severe in the initial herpes outbreak, but generally are less severe in subsequent outbreaks. Patients who have contracted herpes on average have about four to five outbreaks of sores per year. Herpes is, at present, incurable, but it is a highly treatable ailment. Most treatments involve the use of antibiotics that shorten the length of outbreaks and mitigate their severity. Daily suppressive therapy is also often used to prevent passing the illness to sexual partners. The use of daily suppressive therapy has become more common in America, and can be credited in part with decreasing rates of herpes among the population. While herpes is treatable it does have a number of complications that can be detrimental to the patient's overall health, and if the patient is a pregnant female, can also be dangerous to the unborn child. Other STDs One of the main complications of herpes is that it can put you at greater risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases, including the AIDS virus. The risk of passing these diseases to others also increases for patients with herpes. According to a recent study, the immune system cells most commonly infected by HIV are present in greater numbers at the site of a herpes infection, even well after sores from the infection have healed. Suppressive treatments such as acylovir do not reduce the concentration of highly susceptible cells near the site of the infection. Because of this, people with herpes should be aware of their increased risk of catching HIV and take the necessary preventative steps to avoid contracting the illness. Pregnancy Herpes poses a significant risk to unborn and newborn babies. Herpes can increase a pregnant mother's chance of miscarriage or the risk of the child being born with birth defects such as eye, brain and spinal cord abnormalities. The chance of a mother transmitting herpes to her unborn child is relatively low -- about 1 to 2 percent. The risk of complications is higher and runs highest among women who are experiencing their first outbreak of herpes at their due date. Mothers who have herpes for a longer time transmit antibodies to their children in the womb which help to guard against the child being infected with herpes. Antiviral medication may help mothers with newer cases prevent infecting their children. Pregnant women who have herpes or think they may have herpes should consult closely with their health care provider to prevent infecting their unborn children. Infected male partners of pregnant women should take extra precautions to prevent infecting their partners. Meningitis In some cases, herpes can cause the spinal cord to become inflamed, increasing the patient's risk of contracting meningitis or encephalitis. Herpes encephalitis is extremely rare, but can be fatal. Herpes meningitis is not usually serious, but runs an increased risk of being recurrent. Also, herpes can cause urinary retention in some female patients. Urinary retention is basically the inability to urinate. Typical urinary retention cases consist of a weak urinary stream with intermittent flow. People with urinary retention also often must strain to urinate and are often left with a sense of incomplete urination even after they are able to urinate. As the bladder remains full because of urinary retention, other problems such as incontinence and nocturnia may occur. Proctitis Proctitis is a complication of herpes that occurs in men, particularly men who have sex with men. Proctitis is an inflammation of the rectum. Symptoms of this ailment are frequent anal bleeding, a feeling of having to constantly need to defecate, diarrhea and painful bowel movements. Proctitis can cause complications such as anemia, ulcers and fistulas. Treatments for herpes and responsible sexual behavior can reduce infected persons chances of developing herpes or passing it to others. Because of the complications associated with herpes, and the incurability of this illness, you should take steps to avoid contracting the virus, or, if you're infected, passing it to others. Precautions to prevent the spread of herpes include: using condoms, avoiding promiscuous or anonymous sex, using suppressive therapy if you are infected with herpes and being honest with sexual partners regarding herpes if you're infected.

 

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