Do most people have Herpes Simplex type 1?

[Rex]

I read somewhere that most people get this during childhood and it's usually a pimple/sore on the lip that persists for a week and outbreaks two times a year or so.

Everytime I google pics on herpes though, it's always extreme and looks really bad. Is the herpes simplex type 2 the one that you need to be more concerned with?

 

[62624rd]

the first one that you are talking about is called a cold sore. and the second one is the most serious/sexual related one. I think that chicken pox is in the same family too. And it stays/lives within you body until your imunity (sp) system is weaken and become shingles

 

[Corny]

Yes, quite a lot of people have herpes in some form. Even chicken pox are a type of herpes. But most people's bodies keep the virus in check. They might have had cold sores at some time, yet they rarely (or never) reappear.

 

[hey2you]

Cold Sores are, by far, the most common of the two. They can happen due to changes in the weather and stress and they can look disgusting for everyone to see. I've heard statistics that 70% of the population get them. If you have a cold sore you have to be careful with sex as it can be transmitted to the vagina, anus or penis, and once you get genital herpes you've got it for life. Avoid both if possible.

 

[cynicus]

If you are 50 or older and had chicken pox as a child, get the vaccination for shingles. I had a friend lose her sight in one eye because of shingles. Nothing to mess with, believe me. My MD had to order the vaccine, but I got the shot.

 

[KaraBulut]

I read somewhere that most people get this during childhood and it's usually a pimple/sore on the lip that persists for a week and outbreaks two times a year or so.

The testing that we do for HSV is looking for antibodies. A positive antibody test tells us whether a person has ever had an exposure to HSV. Typically about 75% of the population will test positive for exposure to HSV-1 and about 25% test positive for HSV-2.

There are people who have a few "cold sores" during childhood and don't have another breakout as long as their immune system remains healthy. Others will have breakouts after running a fever, getting exposure to sunlight or when they are under stress.

Everytime I google pics on herpes though, it's always extreme and looks really bad. Is the herpes simplex type 2 the one that you need to be more concerned with?

Well, from a medical perspective we don't really distinguish between the two types of HSV. It's the same virus.

From a societal perspective, because HSV-2 can cause recurrent genital and anal sores, it carries a stigma. In most cases, it's easier to prevent an anal-genital infection- a condom will reduce the risk but not completely eliminate it.

 

[palemale]

I had a tiny spot of shingles (which is herpes zoster) a few years back on my butt accompanying a bad case of hemorrhoids. Herpes zoster is chicken pox. The doc tested one of the sores because he thought it might be herpes simplex. Unfortunately, he did not do a herpes specific test and it came back positive, causing me months of upset. I had the antibody test and tested negative for both HSV 1 and 2. The infectious disease specialist said it was probably too early and I should test three months later. That test came back negative again for HSV 1 and 2. The doctor said I definitely had neither form of herpes simplex, and the positive test was most likely because of the shingles. This is unusual because I was nearly 50 years old, and by that age almost 80% of the population will have had HSV 1.

If you get tested for herpes, make sure to tell the doctor to do a herpes specific test! Also, there are excellent health web sites for lots of maladies. I particularly thought that the National Institute of Health and Mayo Clinic had great web sites.

 

[cityboy-stl]

Well, from a medical perspective we don't really distinguish between the two types of HSV. It's the same virus.

So wait....if they're the exact same virus why did my doctor run two tests at my last physical? HSV-1 positive, HSV-2 negative ?????

Confused now.

 

[Rex]

So why do people freak out about herpes if 80% of the population has it and it's as common as a cold? I don't get it.

 

[KaraBulut]

I had the antibody test and tested negative for both HSV 1 and 2. The infectious disease specialist said it was probably too early and I should test three months later. That test came back negative again for HSV 1 and 2. The doctor said I definitely had neither form of herpes simplex, and the positive test was most likely because of the shingles. This is unusual because I was nearly 50 years old, and by that age almost 80% of the population will have had HSV 1.

So wait....if they're the exact same virus why did my doctor run two tests at my last physical? HSV-1 positive, HSV-2 negative ?????

HSV-1 and HSV-2 are exactly the same virus- just different strains. I usually explain it in the same way that we explain head lice vs pubic lice- same organism, just adapted to affect different parts of the body.

In testing for viruses, we have two choices- to test for the virus itself (expensive) or test for antibodies to the virus (cheaper). Most first round tests are antibody tests- we're looking to see if you have had an exposure that triggered your immune system to respond and create antibodies.

If a person has a lesion that we're unsure of whether it's herpes zoster (shingles, chickenpox) or herpes simplex (cold sores, herpes gladitorium, anogenital herpes, etc) then we would take a sample of the lesion and send it for antigen testing. An antigen test can either be a culture or a PCR-type test that looks for viral DNA.

if the person doesn't have an active lesion and we're looking to see has had an exposure to HSV in the past, we would do an antibody test. There are different types of antibodies. One of the tests is able to distinguish between a particular type of antibody for HSV-1 vs HSV-2.

So why do people freak out about herpes if 80% of the population has it and it's as common as a cold? I don't get it.

Back to the lice comparison. If you get head lice, people likely won't judge you. If you get pubic lice, you're treated differently.

If you get HSV on your lip, people will go "ewww" but chances are that you won't be treated differently. If you get HSV on your dick, people have a different attitude about it. It's part of the hangup that we have about sex and sexually transmitted diseases.

From a medical perspective, the only reason we really care about anogenital herpes is that in women, it can pass to a newborn during a vaginal delivery. HSV can cause lethal complications in a newborn (e.g. meningitis).

Other than the pregnancy concern, there's little difference to us. It's the same virus and the treatment is the same.