What does hsv stand for medical

Herpetic whitlow may cause It is most commonly transmitted during birth through contact with vaginal secretions containing HSV and usually involves HSV Neonatal HSV infection usually develops between the 1st and 4th week of life, often causing mucocutaneous vesicles or central nervous system involvement.

It causes major morbidity and mortality. Herpes encephalitis Encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the parenchyma of the brain, resulting from direct viral invasion.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is brain and spinal cord inflammation caused by a hypersensitivity Multiple early seizures are characteristic. Viral meningitis Viral Meningitis Viral meningitis tends to be less severe than acute bacterial meningitis.

Findings include headache, fever, and nuchal rigidity. Diagnosis is by cerebrospinal fluid CSF analysis. It is usually self-limited. Lumbosacral myeloradiculitis, typically caused by HSV-2, can occur during primary infection or reactivation of HSV-2 infection and can result in urinary retention or obstipation. Laboratory confirmation can be helpful, especially if infection is severe, the patient is immunocompromised or pregnant, or lesions are atypical.

A Tzanck test a superficial scraping from the base of a freshly ruptured vesicle stained with Wright-Giemsa stain often reveals multinucleate giant cells in HSV or varicella-zoster virus infection. Definitive diagnosis is with culture, seroconversion involving the appropriate serotype in primary infections , PCR, and antigen detection.

Fluid and material for culture should be obtained from the base of a vesicle or of a freshly ulcerated lesion. HSV can sometimes be identified using direct immunofluorescence assay of scrapings of lesions. HSV should be distinguished from herpes zoster Herpes Zoster Herpes zoster is infection that results when varicella-zoster virus reactivates from its latent state in a posterior dorsal root ganglion.

Symptoms usually begin with pain along the affected Clusters of vesicles or ulcers on an erythematous base are unusual in genital ulcers other than those due to HSV infection. Usually acyclovir , valacyclovir , or famciclovir. For keratitis, topical trifluridine typically in consultation with an ophthalmologist.

Treating primary HSV infection with drugs, even if done early, does not prevent the possibility of recurrence. Acyclovir , valacyclovir , or famciclovir can be used to treat infection, especially when it is primary. Infection with acyclovir -resistant HSV is rare and occurs almost exclusively in immunocompromised patients. Foscarnet may be effective for acyclovir -resistant infections.

Secondary bacterial infections are treated with topical antibiotics eg, mupirocin or neomycin - bacitracin or, if severe, with systemic antibiotics eg, penicillinase-resistant beta-lactams. Systemic analgesics may help. Gingivostomatitis and pharyngitis may require symptom relief with topical anesthetics eg, dyclonine , benzocaine , viscous lidocaine.

NOTE: Lidocaine must not be swallowed because it anesthetizes the oropharynx, the hypopharynx, and possibly the epiglottis. Children must be watched for signs of aspiration. Severe cases can be treated with acyclovir , valacyclovir , or famciclovir. Herpes labialis responds to oral and topical acyclovir. Toxicity appears to be minimal. Famciclovir mg as one dose or valacyclovir 2 g orally every 12 hours for 1 day can be used to treat recurrent herpes labialis. Acyclovir -resistant strains are resistant to penciclovir , famciclovir , and valacyclovir.

Herpetic whitlow heals in 2 to 3 weeks without treatment. Topical acyclovir has not been shown to be effective. Oral or IV acyclovir can be used in immunosuppressed patients and those with severe infection. Treatment of herpes simplex keratitis Treatment Herpes simplex keratitis is corneal infection with herpes simplex virus. Treatment for 14 to 21 days is preferred to prevent potential relapse.

Symptoms of a genital herpes recurrence also last 8—10 days , and there will be fewer sores than in the initial phase. During a recurrence, a person can pass on genital herpes for 2—5 days. When HSV is present on the skin, it can easily pass from person to person through contact with the moist skin of the mouth and genitals, including the anus.

Infection can occur in the following ways :. The virus is most contagious between the time when symptoms first appear and when they heal. Less commonly, a person can transmit the virus when symptoms are not present. Also, people with HIV have weakened immune systems, and this increases the risk of more severe complications.

For example, if a person has oral herpes and a weakened immune system, they may have a higher risk of developing keratitis, a type of eye inflammation, or encephalitis, inflammation of the brain. If a person has a weakened immune system and genital herpes, there is, rarely, a higher risk of developing inflammation of the brain, eyes, esophagus, lungs, or liver, as well as widespread infection.

Some people find that using ice packs help. Never apply ice directly to the skin — wrap it in a cloth first. A person can purchase lidocaine creams in drugstores or online. No drug can get rid of the herpes virus. However, a doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication, such as acyclovir, to prevent the virus from multiplying. Meanwhile, over-the-counter herpes treatments, which are often creams, can help manage tingling, itching, and pain. To significantly lessen the duration of an outbreak, start treatment within 24 hours of initial symptoms, for example, as soon as the tingling begins.

If a person uses antiviral medication, symptoms may resolve 1—2 days more quickly than if they had used no treatment. Medication may also reduce the severity of symptoms. If a person has fewer than six recurrences of genital herpes per year, a doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication at each recurrence. If a person experiences recurrences more frequently, a doctor may recommend taking an antiviral for 6—12 months at a time. Taking these medications every day for longer periods can significantly reduce the risk of passing herpes to a partner, though it remains a possibility.

The following strategies can reduce the risk of developing or passing on herpes:. A person can buy condoms at many stores, as well as online. After the first primary infection, HSV, like other herpesviruses, remains inactive dormant or latent in the body for life.

A latent infection may not cause symptoms again, or it may periodically reactivate and cause symptoms. The primary HSV infection produces an eruption of tiny blisters. After the eruption of blisters subsides, the virus remains in a dormant state inside the collection of nerve cells ganglia near the spinal cord that supply the nerve fibers to the infected area.

Periodically, the virus reactivates, begins multiplying again, and travels through the nerve fibers back to the skin—causing eruptions of blisters in the same area of skin as the earlier infection. Sometimes the virus is present on the skin or mucous membranes even when no blisters can be seen. The virus may reactivate many times. Reactivation of a latent oral or genital HSV infection may be triggered by the following:.

Suppression of the immune system for example, by a drug taken to prevent rejection of an organ transplant Drugs Used to Prevent Transplant Rejection Transplantation is the removal of living, functioning cells, tissues, or organs from the body and then their transfer back into the same body or into a different body.

The most common type of An episode of cold sores can develop after physical trauma, such as a dental procedure or overexposure of the lips to sunlight. Often, the trigger is unknown. The first oral infection with HSV usually causes many painful sores inside the mouth herpetic gingivostomatitis. Herpetic gingivostomatitis most commonly develops in children. Before the sores appear, people may feel a tingling discomfort or itching in the area. In addition, people usually feel sick and have a fever, a headache, and body aches.

The mouth sores last 10 to 19 days and are often very severe, making eating and drinking extremely uncomfortable. As a result, people may become dehydrated. Occasionally, no symptoms develop. Recurrences usually produce a cluster of sores on the rim of the lip. The sores then rupture and crust over.

The lip sore is called a cold sore or fever blister so named because they are often triggered by colds or fevers. Other triggers include sunburn on the lips, anxiety, certain dental procedures, and any condition that reduces the body's resistance to infection.

Before a cold sore appears, people usually feel a tingling at the site, lasting from minutes to a few hours, followed by redness and swelling. Usually, fluid-filled blisters form and break open, leaving sores. The sores quickly form a scab. After about 5 to 10 days, the scab falls off and the episode ends.

Less often, tingling and redness occur without blister formation. Genital herpes Genital Herpes Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus that causes recurring episodes of small, painful, fluid-filled blisters on and around the genitals. In women, internal blisters may develop in the vagina or on the cervix.

Internal blisters are less painful and are not visible. The blisters develop 4 to 7 days after people are infected. The blisters go away but may come back recur because the virus never truly leaves the body. Blisters caused by a first genital infection are usually more painful, last longer, and are more widespread than those caused by a recurrent infection.

In people with a weakened immune system, recurrences of oral or genital herpes can result in progressive, gradually enlarging sores that take weeks to heal. The infection may progress inside the body, moving into the esophagus, lungs, or colon. Ulcers in the esophagus cause pain during swallowing, and lung infection causes pneumonia with cough and shortness of breath. Sometimes HSV-1 or HSV-2 enters through a break in the skin of a finger, causing a swollen, painful, red fingertip herpetic whitlow Herpetic Whitlow Herpetic whitlow is a viral infection of the fingertip.

See also Overview of Hand Disorders. Herpes simplex virus similar to the one that causes fever blisters may cause an intense, painful Health care workers who are exposed to saliva or other body secretions such as dentists when not wearing gloves are most commonly affected. HSV-1 can infect the cornea of the eye. This infection called herpes simplex keratitis Herpes Simplex Keratitis Herpes simplex keratitis is an eye infection that involves the cornea the clear layer in front of the iris and pupil and is caused by herpes simplex virus.

Over time, particularly without treatment, the cornea can become cloudy, causing a significant loss of vision. Infants or adults with a skin disorder called atopic eczema Atopic Dermatitis Eczema Atopic dermatitis commonly referred to as eczema is chronic, itchy inflammation of the upper layers of the skin that often develops in people who have hay fever or asthma and in people who Therefore, people with atopic eczema should avoid being near anyone with an active herpes infection.

HSV can infect the brain. This infection called herpes encephalitis Encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain that occurs when a virus directly infects the brain or when a virus, vaccine, or something else triggers inflammation.