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Symptoms occur within about two weeks of being infected and will last for 2 - 4 weeks.
You might experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, muscle pain and headaches, and/or an ache in the stomach or groin. Discomfort when passing water, a genital discharge and swollen glands in the groin are also common.
You might get a tingling sensation as the small red bumps appear, or burning, or itching. The bumps then turn into small fluid filled blisters which then grow in size a little. After a few days the blisters turn into sores which might be itchy or painful. These sores heal in a few weeks and generally leave no mark.
Sometimes the symptoms are so mild that the sores are assumed to be an insect bite, or a yeast infection, and occasionally there are no symptoms at all. Of course, this is the most dangerous scenario as the affected person might be unaware he has herpes and infect others unknowingly.
Recurrence.The next outbreaks are usually less severe and shorter than the first. HSV1 happens less often than HSV2. Outbreaks tend to happen when the immune system is low - for example if you have flu or a cold, or are generally unwell or under a lot of stress. What triggers an outbreak tends to vary between individuals. Hormonal fluctuations influence the recurrence, as does cold weather in some.
Some people have less than one outbreak per year, whereas others might have four or more. Generally speaking, the longer you have had the disease, the more rarely you get an outbreak.
Herpes and HIV.Herpes can make you more susceptible to HIV, and can make HIV infected people more infectious to others via the open sores.
As well as physical symptoms, HSV has an impact psychologically as well, in terms of the lowering of self esteem, depression and anxiety. There are support groups who can offer tips on living with herpes and your doctor might be able to recommend an appropriate counsellor if necessary. |
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