What is the difference between herpes HSV-1, HSV-2 and genital herpes? What do cold sores exactly mean?!


Question: What is the difference between herpes HSV-1, HSV-2 and genital herpes.? What do cold sores exactly mean.?
I have a cold sore on my lip, i have gotten them before but i looked up how to get rid of it and it came up with a bunch of herpes stuff and i was just wondering what it exactly means. I have a cold sore only on my lip. and a couple weeks ago i had one on the tip of my tongue. What does it exaclty mean.?Health Question & Answer


Answers:
Cold sores is another name for oral herpes - the old folk name, before we realised that 'cold sores' were caused by a herpes virus.

'Cold sores' are also known as 'fever blisters' and both names probably came about because you are particularly susceptible to outbreaks of oral or genital herpes when you have a cold or fever, because it affects your immune system and allows the herpes virus to surface and cause a sore.

About 60-80% of adults have oral herpes, which causes cold sores. It is usually caught by kissing.

There are two herpes viruses, called hsv-1 and hsv-2. Either virus can easily cause an infection genitally or orally, though both have an area they evolved to infect rather better, causing a more severe infection. The virus hsv-1 is better adapted to the mouth, and the virus hsv-2 is better adapted to the genitals.

However, there is a cross over - about 5% of cold sores on the mouth are caused by hsv-2, the rest by hsv-1, and over half of genital herpes infections are caused by the 'oral herpes' virus hsv-1, while the rest are caused by hsv-2.

Symptoms of both viruses are identical, wherever you have them. So symptoms of oral and genital herpes are also identical - they just crop up in different places. The only difference is that if you have genital hsv-1 rather than genital hsv-2, you will get fewer outbreaks, and if you have oral hsv-2 rather than oral hsv-1, you will get fewer outbreaks.

Once you catch herpes on your mouth by being kissed, the virus stays with you for the rest of your life. It lies dormant in your facial nerve ganglion, kept under control by your immune system. Every now and then, when your immune system is low, the virus is able to become active and surface. When it does, it causes a sore or sores on your mouth, which is what we call a cold sore.

Some people get 'cold sores' more often than others, it just depends how well your body controls the virus - but after you have had one, you will probably get them intermittently for the rest of your life, because you will always have the virus.

It will not do you any harm, but an open herpes sore is extremely infectious, so you should void kissing anyone, or giving anyone oral sex, when you have one - and for a few days after it has healed to be on the safe side. You may also find you get occasional warning signs that the virus is active - a tingle on your lip, or an itchy lip, or sore facial nerves on one side. You should avoid oral contact during these times too.

Your cold sores, like most peoples, are probably caused by the virus hsv-1. It is so common, it is not anything to wory about, you just need to be aware of the possibility of giving someone else oral herpes through kissing them, or worse, giving them genital herpes through giving them oral sex, which is what happened to me from my boyfriend's cold sores. It is also worth knowing that though you are most infectious when you have a cold sore, there is also a small risk of spreading the virus in between cold sores - my boyfriend had no symptoms when he infected me.

If you only have oral herpes, and only get outbreaks orally, then only your mouth is infectious.

PS most of what they other answerer said is correct - if you have oral herpes hsv-1 you CAN give your partner genital herpes if you give them oral sex - but your partner would NOT then have hsv-2, they would have genital hsv-1. The number - 1 or 2 - isn't referring to the location, genital or oral, but is the name for the virus itself. Type 1 will not turn into type 2 if it infects the genitals, as I can vouch for - I have genital hsv-1.Health Question & Answer

cold sores and fever blisters are hsv-1 and genital herpes is hsv-2

since you have hsv-1 as do most people be careful when you give oral sex. make sure whenever you give it (if you do) that you do not have a cold sore present. if you do have one present you can pass it to the other person and they will get genital herpes (hsv-2)

hope i helpedHealth Question & Answer

Oral herpes which is the exact same thing as cold sores or fever blisters, also known as HSV1 (Herpes Symplex type 1). If you get, or have had cold sores then that means you have oral herpes, as does 80-90 percent of the population, even I have them.
Oral herpes likes to live and occur on the mouth but it can be passed to the genitals during oral sex. If you all ready have oral herpes then you would be less likely to get oral herpes again. You can get oral herpes by other ways then sex and kissing. You can get them by sharing things like drinks, cigarettes, utensils, chap stick, with some one that has cold sores.
There is more of a chance of spreading either type of herpes while there is an open visible sore and while it's healing. While there is no sore there is still a small chance that either type of herpes can be passed on.
Symptoms for oral herpes include:
Itching, and or burning, and or dry chapped skin. Usually at one spot, usually around the mouth. Then a small pimply or blister like thing comes up on the skin, then it can break out into a cut, blister or sore like thing.
Just because you have one type of herpes doesn't mean you have or will have both types of herpes.
HSV2 referes to genital herpes which likes to live and occur on the genitals but can be passed to the mouth. Common symptoms include: Itching and or, burning and or tingling sensations under the skin of the genitals. Swollen genital glands, flu like symptoms, raise blisters, or open sores, or open cuts appear on the genitals lasting for a week or more.
Both types of herpes like skin to skin contact to be passed on like kissing, oral and regular sex.
You CAN'T get herpes from objects, hand shaking, just touching some one on the arm, from public pools, public toilet seats, or sharing the same bath.
I have HSV1 and HSV2 (genital herpes)Health Question & Answer



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