Let us make this very clear, Cold sores are nothing but a kind of Herpes. The word “cold sore” is used to cloak the disease “herpes” as there is a huge stigma associated with herpes in the minds of the people.
Most people don’t even know they’ve been exposed to the herpes virus. Almost, 72% of the US population has been infected with herpes simplex. It can live in your system and not cause any symptoms ever. In a very small percentage of those people will actually develop cold sores.
So, to answer your question. Cold sore is a symptom caused by the Herpes HSV1 virus.
For some people, genetic factors, stress, illness or physical trauma can cause it to flare up resulting in those sores inside and on the mouth known as Cold sores.
Medical Causes of Cold Sores
HSV-1 is mainly transmitted by oral to oral (mouth to mouth) contact to cause oral herpes which can include symptoms known as “cold sores”.
Cold sores are caused by herpes simplex virus, the HSV1. This virus infects through the moist inner layer skin of the mouth and this spreads through skin-to-skin contact.
After infection, the virus settles in a nearby nerve sheath and remains there for life long. It’s usually in a dormant state and you have no symptoms but sometimes it activates and travels to your mouth area and causes a cold sore blister/lesions.
Cold Sores symptoms with pictures
The most common pattern is having a handful of blisters at the Vermilion border, the border of the lip on one side of the face (refer figure). It’s not just lips, lesions can also occur on the palate, gums, tongue and spread elsewhere.
Lesions on the palate gums tongue lip and facial area as well as a fever and enlarged lymph nodes. Lesion stem cells are typically clusters of small painful fluid-filled blisters that ooze in ulcerate.
The triggers or causes of Cold sores
As mentioned previously the virus is mostly in the dormant state and with certain triggers, it pops in to show blisters on your mouth etc. Let’s have a look at those triggers which help aggravates the virus and try and avoid the ones that we can.
- Stress: Stress, hypertension, anxiety triggers HSV1 and indirectly the cold sore. So, use meditation or other stress-relieving techniques to avoid stress.
- Sleep: Get more of it so you’re not fatigued and if you have difficulty sleeping
- Dry lips: Dry lips can lead you vulnerable to an outbreak. Apply lip balm to prevent chapping in the cold. In the sun use SPF 15 lip balm or higher.
Why cold sores are good?
As mentioned nearly 70% of the population in the United States have herpes and the only fraction of that percentage of people actually develop Cold sores. So Cold sores are good to have because people can spread the herpes virus whether they develop cold sores or not.
Since the number of people who are infected but don’t have symptoms vastly outnumber the people who are infected and have symptoms, most new transmissions occur from people who have no idea that they’re infected. So, having Cold Sores is a clear indicator of the presence of virus inside your body and that you can take measures to prevent its spread and can be treated.
Treatment for Cold sores
They usually go on their own in 10-14 days. Still, over the counter medicines such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen can relieve the discomfort caused by a cold sore and/or may help you heal faster before it gets more severe. Other drugs such as acyclovir, famciclovir, and calacyclovir are taken when the prodrome (early signs) starts
Remember, these medicines don’t kill the virus but they may help to prevent the spread of blisters (blisters on the mouth)
Preventing Cold sores or Herpes (HSV1)
Generally, the virus spreads because of asymptomatic (when no symptoms) shedding and is most contagious when virus filled lesions are present (usually during an outbreak) or present in the saliva or genital secretions. So, to avoid Cold sores, one should avoid the following acts during the above-mentioned condition as it spreads through the following acts.
- Kissing
- Oral Sex
- Skin to skin contact
- Avoid touching the blister as it contains the virus, which may spread to other parts of your body or to another person. (HSV1 can also cause Genital Herpes, refer this report by WHO)
Diagnosis of Cold sores
They can be diagnosed based on visual examination i.e. based on how the lesions look.
The above can be confirmed by the following test.
- PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) test looking for a virus’s DNA.
- Antibody test looking for antibody’s response to the virus.
- Viral Culture test, here they grow the virus in culture.
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References
- HSV1 causing Genital herpes: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus
- Dr. Pritish Tosh: Infectious Disease, Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/tosh-pritish-k-m-d/bio-00028149
- Herpes percentage: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/herpes/en/
