Symptoms and Signs, Complications
If the first genital herpes outbreak occurs within a fortnight of being infected, severe symptoms occur. Common symptoms of genital herpes are painful, fluid –filled blisters.
Several people with HSV-2 infection do not present with sores. Very often, the genital herpes symptoms, if present, may go unnoticed or may be mistaken for an insect bite.
If the first outbreak occurs within a fortnight of being infected, symptoms may manifest that are quite severe.
Symptoms of genital herpes may include the following:
- Decrease in appetite
- Muscle aches in the buttocks, thighs, lower back or knees
- Fever /malaise
- Appearance of small, straw-colored, fluid –filled, painful blisters. They are usually present in the genital and anal region.
- Tingling, burning, itching feeling where blisters will appear
- When blisters break, they leave behind shallow, painful ulcers that form crusts, which eventually heal in about a week
- Painful urination
- Vaginal discharge in women during outbreak
- Enlarged, tender lymph nodes in groin region during an outbreak
Advertisement
Complications
- Recurrent painful genital sores occur that can be more severe in those with compromised immune systems.
- Genital herpes often causes psychological distress in those who know they are infected, regardless of the degree of severity
- Herpes infection can be fatal in babies who have acquired it through a pregnant mother.
- Herpes may have a role to play in the spread of AIDS.
