Cold on the lip - a problem that regularly face hundreds of millions of people around the world. Herpes simplex virus type 1, which is the cause of this disorder, infected more than half of the planet's inhabitants, and the total number is currently impossible to establish.

Few statistics

• Approximately 1% of all treatment consult a family doctor associated with a cold on the lip or oral herpes;
• 56-85% of people infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 at the age of 30 years. In some countries, it is estimated that the number of infected may reach 95%;
• In 20-40% of young adults are infected with the virus, appears regularly on the cold lips. In the elderly, and persons with low living recurrent oral herpes occur more frequently;
• On average, the herpes simplex virus type 1 is activated by two to six times a year, although for some people it does not manifest itself throughout life.

Causes of cold on the lips

The causative agent of the common cold on the lips - herpes simplex virus type 1 Herpes Type 1 - is rarely a significant threat to human   - Transmitted from person to person through sklyunu - such as kissing. The risk of infection is especially great during exacerbations of herpes, but sometimes the infection can spread and at times when there are no symptoms of herpes. Many people are infected with herpes in early childhood.

The virus can be activated immediately after infection, but it does not always happen. In some cases, the patient may be unaware for years that he was infected - as long as it does not appear the first time cold sores on the lips. The reason that repeated acute oral herpes can occur most often are immunosuppressed (for example, because of the use of corticosteroids or certain diseases), upper respiratory tract infection, severe fatigue, emotional stress, injury, exposure to ultraviolet radiation and menstruation. It is believed that people who suffer from obesity are also more susceptible to recurrent herpes.

Symptoms of cold on the lips

After the initial infection, some patients develop a sore throat; while lesions appear in the throat, resembling those that are characteristic for infectious mononucleosis. In young children after primary infection often appear symptoms such as blisters on the tongue, lips, gums and pain on swallowing, increased drooling, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper , Drowsiness.

For 6-24 hours before the blisters may occur symptoms such as tingling, mild pain and / or itching of the lips. Typical symptoms of a cold on the lips - small blisters with liquid inside, that after 1-3 days after the onset of burst, and in their place are formed small sores. They quickly covered with a crust and completely disappear in about two weeks.

Some patients appear in a cold corner of the lips, around the mouth, and even in other parts of the face such as the chin and nose. A common problem is the cold inside the mouth, but in some cases, painful blisters in the mouth are caused by the herpes simplex virus Herpes simplex - in fact, not so simple   than the first and second type - thus, also known as genital herpes. This virus can get into the mouth, for example, as a result of lessons in oral sex. Typically, the symptoms appear only after a primary infection and the probability reactivation of this virus in the mouth very low.

Cold on the lips of a child is often accompanied by fever, cough, and other symptoms of respiratory infections. In adults, acute herpes are often at a normal state of health.

Diagnostics

Symptoms of herpes on the lip may be similar to the symptoms of these disorders, which are recorded in the differential diagnosis:

• Aphthous ulcers;
• Chickenpox;
• Impetigo;
• The chancre on the lip or in the mouth is a sign of syphilis Symptoms of syphilis - they may not be noticed ;
• Cancer of lips.

The probability that the blisters on the lips is actually linked to cancer lips, very small, but this possibility should not be ruled out immediately. In addition to blisters, signs of this type of cancer may include: sores on the oral mucosa, which are not held for three weeks or more, swelling of the lips, which are stored for several weeks, red or white patches in the mouth.

For the diagnosis of oral herpes in most cases do not require special analysis - the doctor can determine this illness simply examining the patient. However, if the doctor has doubts about the diagnosis, he may order tests that can detect the virus, which has become an infectious agent - either to show that the reason for the appearance of blisters on the lips became not a virus. The latter may require additional diagnostic procedures.

Cytomegalovirus - a type of herpes virus (human herpes virus type V). The disease, which causes the virus, called cytomegalovirus. It was first described in the late 19th century, but only in the second half of the 20th century, it was identified the pathogen.

Kinds

Tsitomegliya - a viral disease characterized by lesions of the salivary glands, and other organs to form in the tissues of giant cells with large intranuclear inclusions.

There are localized and generalized forms of cytomegalovirus. At the localized form, which usually develops in adults and children older than three months, affects the salivary glands. Generalized form is often innate and develops before the age of three months, but can also occur in older children and adults. In the pathological process involved many organs.

Signs

The localized form of cytomegalovirus infection with lesions of the salivary glands is usually asymptomatic. But a sharp decline in immunity (the newborn, infants and adults with immunodeficiency), it can go into generalized form.

Generalized form of cytomegalovirus infection manifests itself in different ways depending on the patient's age, the state of his immunity and the pre-emptive destruction of an organ.

Especially hard the disease occurs in newborns. Symptoms of cytomegalovirus have a progressive jaundice, enlarged liver and spleen, severe hemolytic (destruction of red blood cells with) anemia, hemorrhages in the skin, reducing the number of platelets in the blood, tendency to bleed and hemorrhage (hemorrhagic diathesis).

Amazed and central nervous system, which is manifested by repeated convulsions due to the development of viral meningoencephalitis. Such children are often born with microcephaly (a decrease in the volume of the brain), and hydrocephalus (water on the brain). Later they going mental retardation or mental retardation Mental retardation - if the mind is underdeveloped . The defeat of the body is manifested in the form of chorioretinitis (inflammation of the choroid and retina), cataract Cataracts - how to solve the problem completely?   (clouding of the lens), optic neuritis. Defeat hearing snarusheniyami from the auditory nerve can lead to deafness.

If infection spreads to the respiratory system, the children appear persistent cough, shortness of breath and other symptoms of interstitial (with the defeat of the interstitial lung tissue) pneumonia. Such lesions may join secondary bacterial infection with the development of pleurisy (inflammation of the serous membrane covering the lungs) and sepsis (blood poisoning).

It is very difficult for cytomegalovirus infection in children occurs when joining other childhood infections such as measles Measles in children - may cause serious complications , Chicken pox and other diseases. Also, poorly tolerated cytomegaly newborns with cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis: early diagnosis - the key to recovery   - A congenital disease characterized by lesions of all the organs that produce mucus.

In developing kidney interstitial nephritis, which is often asymptomatic, and only when the laboratory examination of urine can detect traces of the destruction of the body.

With the defeat of the digestive system in children developing frequent vomiting, loose stools, decreased enzyme activity in the duodenum. When CMV can also affect the endocrine glands.

In congenital CMV infection is often observed stillbirth or neonatal death.

In older children generalized form shown enlarged liver, jaundice, acute liver failure, prolonged fever, anemia, changes in laboratory parameters of blood. Also, in older children and adults, CMV infection can occur by type mononuclear syndrome with inflammatory changes in the throat, enlarged cervical lymph nodes, liver and spleen.

Pregnancy and tsitmegalovirusnaya infection

Cytomegalovirus infection is the biggest danger to the fetus and newborn child. Especially dangerous is the primary infection with cytomegalovirus during pregnancy.

In this regard, all pregnant women screened for cytomegalovirus. We study the blood, which revealed the presence of cytomegalovirus and antibodies to them and a study is conducted twice: at the beginning of pregnancy and in the third trimester, shortly before the birth.

Cytomegalovirus is transmitted from mother to child is not always, in the case of primary infection during pregnancy are infected nine children out of a hundred, and if the mother has been infected by this infection before pregnancy, it is transmitted to each thousandth child.

Galina Romanenko