“How dangerous is herpes?”
My friend has herpes and I'm scared that this condition can harm her health in general. Is herpes dangerous?
2 Answers
InternistHerpes
Usually, herpes simplex is a self-limited outbreak of blisters that resolves in a week. It is a lifelong infection with occasional outbreaks. Rarely, it can cause meningitis or encephalitis with the encephalitis being very serious but rare, the meningitis being uncommon, but not severe. So, your friend is not likely to have any lasting problems. Two exceptions: if she has a baby when herpes is present, the baby can become very ill, and since she can share herpes with a sexual partner, that raises issues about when to tell her partner that she has had herpes.
G. Dickinson
G. Dickinson
Good morning,
Herpes simplex virus can causes a wide spectrum of diseases. It can cause a simple skin outbreak only causing discomfort all the way to a severe brain infection or meningitis. The manifestation of the disease is dependent on what type of Herpes your friend has. It can be transmitted, but it tends not to be transmitted by casual contact. Your friend should likely just have routine visits with a primary care doctor to assess risk and to stay healthy.
Andrew Jameson, MD, FACP, AAHIVS
Herpes simplex virus can causes a wide spectrum of diseases. It can cause a simple skin outbreak only causing discomfort all the way to a severe brain infection or meningitis. The manifestation of the disease is dependent on what type of Herpes your friend has. It can be transmitted, but it tends not to be transmitted by casual contact. Your friend should likely just have routine visits with a primary care doctor to assess risk and to stay healthy.
Andrew Jameson, MD, FACP, AAHIVS
