Herpes Simplex Type 1

There are two strains of the Herpes Simplex Virus: Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV 1) and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV 2). HSV 1 is the far more common variation of the Herpes Simplex Virus, infecting up to 90% of all adults (HSV 2 infects roughly 20% of adults).

HSV 1 infection typically does not show symptoms, but when it does symptoms usually occur in a cycle, the culmination of which is a fluid-filled blister that is often referred to as a "cold sore", and to a lesser extent, as a "fever blister". The prevailing belief is that HSV infection, whether HSV 1 or HSV 2, is a lifelong condition, though some non-prescription herpes remedies do claim to permanently cure a person of HSV.

As a general rule, HSV infection is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. In the case of HSV 1, kissing is a frequent means of passing the infection between people. There is no absolute frame of time in which HSV symptoms appear following infection: as stated previously, most people infected with HSV show no symptoms at all; and some HSV infected persons may recognize symptoms literally years after they were initially infected.

HSV 1 symptoms, referred to as outbreaks, are the result of the HSV 1 virus appearing at the surface of the skin (the virus travels along nerves to reach the skin surface), where it is attacked by the body's immune defenses. The blistering of the skin during an outbreak is the physical outcome of the virus being attacked and destroyed by the body's defenses. So though HSV 1 outbreaks may look unappealing to the eye, they are an indication that the body's immune response is functioning as it should.

There are a number of treatments, prescription and non-prescription both, available for HSV 1 outbreaks. There are also a number of homeopathic, or home remedy, treatments for HSV 1 outbreaks, but most, if not all, of these home remedies function for pain and discomfort relief only: they are not effective in either stopping, or speeding the healing of, an HSV 1 outbreak.

HSV 1 has been in the news recently, with reports of herpes gladiatorum outbreaks having a considerable impact on Minnesota high school wrestling programs. Herpes gladiatorum is an HSV 1 condition that is often spread through high friction grappling contact. Herpes gladiatorum symptoms, when they appear, typically show as sores or lesions in the upper body region. Though initial outbreaks of herpes gladiatorum may present flu-like symptoms (this is true of any HSV outbreak: flu-like symptoms appear because the body has not yet produced HSV antibodies), and in spite of the media attention the Minnesota wrestling outbreak has received, herpes gladiatorum is not, for all intents and purposes, a serious health condition.

Get more information at oral herpes and genital herpes.

About the Author

Chas Oliver is a freelance online writer who's written articles on a number of different subjects.