Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). In the United States, about one in eight people from 14 to 49 are infected by genital herpes. It spreads by skin contact with infected areas, especially by sexual contact. Genital herpes causes itchy and painful sores and blisters on your genital area. People may know about the causes, symptoms and treatments of genital herpes, but there is one thing people may ignore is the relationship between genital herpes and HIV. Genital herpes could increase the risk of being infected with HIV. About 80% of people with HIV are also infected with genital herpes.
HIV Causes
HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus which attacks your body’s immune system. Our body fights external infections with the help of T-helper cell, which is a kind of white blood cell and also called CD4 cell. HIV destroys these cells and gradually breaks down our immune system. People with HIV will become much harder to fight off diseases and infections if they don’t get treated.
HIV Symptoms
Early symptoms of HIV include swollen lymph nodes, fever, sore throat, fatigue, body rashes, joint and muscle pain. As the virus continues to destroy your CD4 cells, you may experience these symptoms such as oral yeast infections, shingles, mouth blisters, genital sores and ulcers. A test can accurately detect the HIV infection.People can get HIV test when they are not sure if they are infected by the HIV virus.
ISENTRESS HIV Treatment
There is currently no cure for HIV. Treatments can just help people to increase the number of CD4 cells and slow down the progression of the disease. There are several different drugs available in the market to control HIV such as ISENTRESS. ISENTRESS is a prescription HIV medicine used with other antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV-1 infection in adults, and in children who weigh at least 4.4 pounds (2 kg). Pay attention to the side effects of this medicine. It may cause severe skin reactions and allergic reactions, insomnia, headache and nausea. If any of these symptoms above happen, call your doctor immediately and get medical help.
It should be noticed that genital herpes is not just related with HIV. It can also be caused by other diseases. Once you got genital herpes, go to a doctor and get diagnosis.