Genital herpes: what is it, how to take it, how to cure it?

You’ve been seeing for a few days itching in the genital areawith the appearance of sores that show no sign of healing? Maybe it’s time to see a doctor, because it could be genital herpes. Genital herpes is one fairly common disease in Italy, but of which there is submerged data. The reason? In Italy, the only ones Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) to mandatory reporting for which national data are available, are gonorrhea, syphilis and pubic pediculosis.

So, according to the most updated ones, collected by two systems sentinel surveillance of STIs, both coordinated by the AIDS Operational Center (CoA) of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), from 1991 to 2019, genital herpes reported 10,140 cases out of 140,874 new STI cases, 7.2% of the total – for completeness of data, in the same period of almost thirty years, the most frequent pathologies were i anogenital warts (60,583 cases, 43.0% of the total) and the latent syphilis (11,490 cases, 8.2% of the total).

Genital herpes, therefore, exists and the most insidious thing is that it can present itself, remaining latent. Taking a more comprehensive overview, genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). The sexual contact it is the main way the virus spreads, but beware: after the initial infection, the virus can lie dormant in the body and reactivate several times a year. If you are thinking about thecold soresyou have hit the point: the genital one can derive from the same stock.

So, exactly like the lip one, it can cause pain, itching and sores in the genital area. But you may also have no signs or symptoms. However, if infected, you can be contagious even if you have no visible sores.

In general, there is no cure for genital herpes, but medications can relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of infecting others. Upstream, i condoms they can help prevent the spread of a genital herpes infection.

But let’s try to find out more together what are the symptoms of genital herpes and containment therapiesif infected.

Two types of virus infections of herpes simplex can cause genital herpes:

• HSV-1: This is the strain that can cause cold sores or blisters around the mouth. HSV-1 is often spread through skin-to-skin contact, or in the genital area by oral sex. Relapses are much less frequent than with HSV-2 infection.
• HSV-2: This is the strain that commonly causes genital herpes and is spread through direct sexual contact. HSV-2 is very common and highly contagious whether you have blisters or open sores locally.

Because the virus dies quickly outside the body, it is almost impossible get infected through contact with toilets, towels or other objects used by an infected person.

Most people infected with HSV do not know they have it because they have no signs or symptoms or because they are very mild.

When present, i symptoms they can start 2 to 12 days after exposure to the virus and they can look like:

• Pain or itching: There may be pain or discomfort in the genital area until the infection clears up.
• Small red bumps or white blisters: Red or white pustules or blisters may appear a few days to a few weeks after infection.
• Ulcers: If the blisters bleed, just urinating becomes very painful.
• Crusts: If the ulcers heal, they will start to scab.

During the initial outbreak, gods may appear flu-like symptoms, such as swollen groin lymph nodes, headache, body aches, and fever.

Usually, sores appear where the virus is passed from body to body and can spread by touching a sore and then rubbing or scratching another area of ​​the body, including the eyes.

In both men and women, sores can appear on the: buttocks and thighs, anus, mouth and urethra. By making a gender difference, the women they can also develop in the internal and external vaginal area and on the cervix, while the men they can develop them on the penis and scrotum.

Although the symptoms differ from person to person, they can recur, intermittently, for years. In some people the episodes may be frequent, in others less, but in any case, over time, the outbreaks are less and less frequent.

Just before the sores reappear, they can be felt burning, tingling and itching at the point where genital herpes first appeared and consequently, pain in the lower back and in the muscles of the legs and buttocks. But generally in the event of a recurrence, the sores are less painful and heal faster.

Self you do not have a permanent sexual partner and/or if do not use a barrier contraceptive (external or internal condom), the risk of getting genital herpes may increase. But did you know that gender can also contribute? Women are more likely to have genital herpes than men: the virus, in fact, is transmitted sexually more easily from men to women than from women to men.

Even in the case of genital herpes, complications can arise, such as:

• Other sexually transmitted infections: Having sores in the genital area can increase the risk of transmitting or contracting other sexually transmitted infections, including AIDS.
• Neonatal infection: If you are expecting a child and suspect you have genital herpes, consult your gynecologist immediately. Your doctor may recommend that you start taking antiviral medications towards the end of your pregnancy to try to prevent an outbreak at the time of delivery. If you have an outbreak when you go into labor, a caesarean section will probably be preferred to reduce the risk of passing the virus to the baby, as the consequences of an infection in a newborn could be brain damage, blindness or death.
• Bladder problems: In some cases, genital herpes sores can cause inflammation of the urethra, the tube through which urine passes. The swellings can occlude it, requiring the insertion of a catheter to drain the liquids produced.
• Meningitis: In rare cases, HSV infection leads to inflammation of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord.
• Rectal inflammation (proctitis): Genital herpes can lead to inflammation of the lining of the rectum, particularly in men who have sex with men.

The tips for preventing genital herpes are the same as for preventing other STIs: abstinence from sexual activity or limiting sexual intercourse a only one partnerpossibly healthy.

If these conditions do not exist, you can, indeed you must:

• Use, or ask the partner (at least if occasional) to use a condom with every sexual intercourse. If you are female, consider using that internal.
• Avoid sexual intercourse if either partner has a herpes outbreak in the genital area or elsewhere.

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