today's topic is herpes simplex causes symptoms diagnosis and treatment the herpes simplex virus or hsv is responsible for causing the herpes infection the infection can show up in different parts of the body but appears most commonly on the mouth or genitals there are two types of the virus hsv-1 usually causes oral herpes it leads to the development of fever blisters and cold sores on the face and around the mouth hsv-2 is responsible for genital herpes let's look at the virus and its effect in detail causes herpes simplex is an infectious virus that spreads from person to person anyone can get the disease at any age with even children likely to get hsv-1 from parents infected by it hsv-1 is usually contracted due to kissing sharing food utensils and sharing lip balm you are likely to get hsv-1 during an outbreak but you might never experience symptoms from it hsv-1 is quite often contracted by people who have it but do not experience any symptoms on the other hand hsv 2 is exclusively contracted from sexual contact it happens when a person comes into contact with a herpes sore according to studies 20 percent of all sexually active adults in the us have an hsv two infection however you cannot get hsv two from someone who is asymptomatic the most prominent risk factor for herpes simplex infection is having sex without a condom other prominent risk factors for hsb2 include one being female two having multiple sex partners three being sexually active at a younger age 4. living with a weakened immune system 5. dealing with another sexually transmitted infection or sti symptoms common symptoms of herpes include 1. blistering sores showing up in the genitals or the mouth two itching in the affected areas three feeling pain while urinating exclusive to genital herpes other symptoms you could feel are similar to flu including one swollen lymph nodes two headaches three fever four tiredness five a lack of appetite hsv can also spread to the eyes causing a unique condition known as herpes keratitis this condition causes discharge from the eye eye pain and a grittiness around it diagnosis a herpes simplex diagnosis usually starts with a physical examination a doctor will check for sores and infected areas they will likely order a herpes culture test afterward which takes a swab of liquid from the sore for testing blood tests for herpes antibodies can also help with the diagnosis treatment there is no cure for the herpes virus with treatment focusing on decreasing the intensity of symptoms and lowering the chance of outbreaks common medications include vemma cyclovir aciclovir and valacyclovir the medicines make the sores easier to deal with and decrease the chances of infecting other people with the virus thank you for watching our video please do not forget to like and share the video also please subscribe to the channel to stay updated on our latest videos