Sometimes the patients having simplex infection may not have any symptoms of the primary infection and may even come to know about being infected with virus and later on they get outbreak of cold sores. In the cases where primary symptoms are present then they are severe and painful.
The symptoms comprising the primary infection:
In majority infection cases of the cold sore virus having primary infection, the signs or symptoms are not easily noticeable. In case if the symptoms are present, in most cases they will be seen in the children of age group of five and can be very severe and painful. Some are:
When cold sore virus herpes simplex causes the primary herpetic gingivostomatitis, its tenure usually lasts for 7-14 days, and the infective sores can take as long as three weeks to get healed up completely. Most of the times the gingivostomatitis, does not occur after the primary infection. Usually the children get gingivostomatitis, but it may occur in the adults as a form of the primary herpetic infection.
The primary herpetic infection if present in adults manifests itself as pharyngotonsillitis (condition having a sore throat along with inflamed tonsils), or a fever like glandular disease. The sore throat along with or without inflamed glands are the usual symptom. One might also have the problem of halitosis or foul breath and very painful cold sore blisters developing at the corner of the mouth or the inside which can form ulcers( An ulcer is the name given to the appearance of an open sore inside the mouth caused by a break in the or the epithelium on the lips or surrounding the mouth ) accompanied with grey or yellow centre.
If the infection of herpes simplex virus has occurred to someone early in life it may get activated from various trigger factors from time to time causing outbreaks of fever blisters. Once the primary infection of the virus is over the symptoms usually left are the cold sores alone.
Signs and symptoms associated with the recurrent or secondary herpes infection (outbreaks of fever blisters)
The secondary infections also known as the recurrent form is mostly of more brief in duration and the pain associated is also less than the primary herpes infection. One and only symptom usually seen is the outbreak of cold sores themselves, although seeing swollen glands in some cases is also not uncommon.
A tingling, irritating and a burning sensation surrounding the mouth usually mark the start of an outbreak of fever blisters. Small fluid-filled blisters then appear, most commonly on or around the corners of your lower lip.
The people having recurrent infections may find that there cold sores tend to occur in the same place every time they reoccur. The cold sore of the patient may grow in size and cause severe pain and itching. The cold sores may secrete a fluid and finally develop a crust like surface within 48 hours of starting of burning and itching feeling. Cold sores usually disappear in seven to ten days even if no treatment is done and mostly heal without formation of a scar.
The active form of the cold sores virus herpes simplex virus is responsible for the formation of the fever blisters and the new virus is created on the surface of the face by the activated virus. Among all the population present on this world about 90% of the population gets the virus infection by the time they are 10 years of age. Most of the times, the virus is inactive and rests inactive in the deep layers of the cells of the neural tissue. The common person on an average gets at least one fever blister 9.5 months also 4 or more cold sores per year can also occur in some people.