Oral Herpes Symptoms

Info_lover | May 3, 2010 |

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Oral herpes is a difficult infectious disease caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1. There can be a fair bit of discomfort associated with it and the severity of oral herpes symptoms depend much on the stage of infection, of which there are 3 stages; primary, latency and recurrence.

Oral Herpes Symptoms

For oral herpes, the incubation period (defined as the amount of time between contact with the virus carrier and the first appearance of symptoms) is roughly 4 days on average for most people. The symptoms of oral herpes usually last for around 2-3 weeks. One of the most common early symptoms of oral herpes is the formation of cold sores of fever blisters.

Before the blisters actually disappear, the person may experience some cold oral sore symptoms which include pain or itching sensation near the mouth and lips. Within a day or two, the blisters will usually begin to appear and then erupt. When seen, these broken down blisters appear as tiny and gray ulcers on a red base. The cold sores usually erupt and occur on the lips, the gums, tongue, the throat, the inside of the cheeks and the top of the mouth. There can also be occasions in which the sores extend down the neck and the chin. The sores or lymph nodes in the neck usually swell and the infection can cause discomfort and pain. One of the most intense oral herpes outbreak symptoms is the situation in which the individual experiences huge difficulty in eating and drinking due to the painful presence of the sores.

Other Symptoms for Oral Herpes

Aside from the breakout of cold sores and fever blisters, other signs and symptoms of oral herpes include muscle pain, fatigue and tiredness, fever and extreme proneness to irritability.

The Unending Nature of Oral Herpes

Unlike most viruses which can be cured and go away after some time, oral herpes infection can be most unfortunate due to the fact that is that it does not ever leave your body in the way a normal virus would. Even upon healing of the fever blisters, the herpes virus will still lie dormant or inactive in your nervous system and any inducing factors will trigger it to reappear again.

Oral Herpes is Contagious

There is no doubting the contagious nature of oral herpes. Oral herpes patients who suffer from cold sores and blisters are strictly advised not to come in contact with other people for a period of time until the infection starts to subside. Moreover, sharing of personal items such as lipstick, cups, utensils and toothbrush increases the likelihood of the virus to spread. Direct contact in the form of kissing or oral sex is highly discouraged during the outbreak.

Difference between Oral Herpes and Genital Herpes

Unlike oral herpes which is caused by the type 1 virus, genital herpes are actually caused by the type 2 simplex virus which is simply a variant of the herpes simplex virus. Even though these two virus types are slightly different, mode of transmission of virus infection is still the same for both types of herpes. On one hand, if someone with oral herpes performs oral sex, the sex partner will contract the virus in the form of genital herpes. On the other hand, if someone has genital herpes and the sex partner performs oral sex on the person, that very same sex partner will contract oral herpes.

The symptoms of oral herpes are often uncomfortable, unsightly and definitely painful, but knowing the first symptoms of oral herpes infection will definitely help one to manage the outbreak and prevent it from spreading further. There are online websites or merchants that provide cold sore remedies to alleviate the discomfort associated with such viral infection. You might want to check out such products which can be seen in online advertisements.