The cold sore disease is referred to as by many other
names. Such as oral herpes, fever blisters and oral
lesions. But what causes the disease? What are the
causes of cold sores? Actually there is a virus that
is behind this, and this virus is the herpes simplex
virus or the HSV. Now there are 2 strains of the HSV
virus. HSV 1 and HSV 2. It is HSV 1 that causes the
cold sore disease (which is one type of herpes). An
infection of the HSV 2 on the other hand leads to
the genital herpes illness. While HSV 1 also causes
genital herpes in some cases, HSV 2 infection does
not lead to cold sores.
In most cases the virus is transmitted to a person
right at the childhood from people who are close to
that infected person. This transmission may happen
from normal activities such as kissing and sharing
towels, a common bath and playing together. But having
the virus at a young age does not mean that the symptoms
will come out immediately. Usually when someone is
infected first the only symptoms include a sore mouth
and a trivial fever. There might also be cases where
there are no symptoms at all. This condition remains
for a few days and then goes away without creating
too much of a concern.
Usually after the initial mild symptoms, the HSV
1 virus gets into a dormant mode and begins to reside
inside the nerves within the body. It is only much
later in life when the person has aged considerably
that the virus becomes active again. It then travels
from its home in the nerves and reaches the skin and
causes the symptoms of cold sores.
The face is our window to the outside world and we
communicate basically by looking at each other. But
when someone has the cold sore disease then the face
looks ugly as there are lesions on the face including
the lips, the eyes and even on the inside of the mouth.
So the symptoms of the disease can be a social embarrassment.
Also the cold sore lesions can pain quite a bit.
Fever also accompanies the disease and this is another
inconvenience. HSV 1 infection can become an irritant
because the lesions seem to return again and again,
and sometimes that too within the same year. But some
people are lucky because they do not get cold sores
more than once every year.
It does so because the virus stays back within the
body even after the symptoms have been treated. Actually
there are some triggers that do not let the virus
remain dormant and keeps activating it. Such triggers
include a poor immune system, some other illness,
a fever, and even menstruation. All these triggers
cause cold sores to return.
