Genital Herpes

Definition

Genital herpes is caused by a virus known as herpes simplex. It has two different types of herpes virus such as HSV-1 and HSV-2. Most forms of genital herpes are HSV-2, but a person with HSV-1 can transmit the virus through oral sex to another person's genitals. Genital herpes is an inflammatory disease of the genitalia. You can classified chronic infection by its cause, either herpes simplex virus-1 or HSV- 2. In which prognosis varies, depending on the patient's age, the strength of her immune defenses, and the infection site. HSV- 2 is usually self-limiting but it may also cause painful and severe outbreaks. Genital herpes is very common in the United States, and it affecting people ages 12 and older. HSV-2 is more common in women than men, because male-to-female transmission is more efficient than female-to-male transmission. But it's more common in Blacks than in Whites.

Causes of Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is usually caused by infection with HSV- 2 but HSV-l more commonly affects the lips and causes cold sores or fever blisters, and can also cause genital herpes. Genital herpes may be occur due to various causes such as:

• Sexual intercourse
• Oral-genital sexual activity
• Kissing and hand-to-body contact with someone who's experiencing an outbreak

Such transmitted infection may be localized or disseminated and may be associated with central nervous system involvement.

Symptoms of Genital Herpes

Early symptoms may include:

• Itching or burning in the genital or anal area
• Pain in the legs
• Buttocks, or genital area
• Vaginal discharge
• Abdominal pressure

For women, the symptoms of this disease includes:

• Fluid-filled vesicles appear, usually on the cervix and, possibly, on the labia, perianal skin, vulva, or vagina

For men, the symptoms of this disease includes:

• These vesicles appear on the glans penis, foreskin or penile shaft.

Other features of initial mucocutaneous infection include:

• Fever
• Malaise
• Dysuria and, in females
• Leukorrhea

Rare complications include herpetic keratitis which may lead to blindness and potentially fatal herpetic encephalitis.

Treatment of Genital Herpes

Treatment is symptomatic and geared toward preventing outbreaks.

• Acyclovir is an effective treatment for the symptoms of genital herpes. In which LV. administration may be required for patients who are hospitalized with severe genital herpes or for those who are immunocompromised and have a potentially life threatening herpes infection.
• You can also use oral acyclovir, it may be prescribed for patients with first-time infections or recurrent outbreaks. Newer drug therapies include famdclovir and valacyclovir. Daily prophylaxis with acyclovir reduces the frequency of recurrences by at least 50% but is only appropriate for patients with frequent outbreaks and may not decrease transmission rate of the disease.
• You can also use other treatments to cure genital herpes such as Imiquimod cream , an immune enhancer and Human leukocyte interferon alpha cream.