Diagnosis of genital herpes
The signs and symptoms of both HSV-2 and HSV-1 i.e. type-2 and type-1 virus of genital can vary greatly. Usually HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses can be found in the sores that the viruses’ causes and it is also spread from the sores. Though they also happen to spread from the skin that doesn’t appear to have a sore. Normally an individual is infected with type-2 herpes infection during sexual intercourse with somebody who already has a genital HSV-2 herpes infection. The infection may spread from an infected partner who doesn’t have a discernible sore. The infected individual may not even know that he or she is infected with herpes.
The type-1 genital herpes virus more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, called as “fever blisters”. Oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who is infected with HSV-1 infection can cause HSV-1 herpes infection. Recurrent outbreaks of HSV-1 genital herpes are less frequent than HSV-2 herpes outbreaks.
An individual infected with genital herpes might notice itching or pain followed by sores appearing after a few hours to a few days. The sores may appear on the privates such as the vagina, penis, scrotum, buttocks, or anus. The sores start out as red bumps and soon turn into red and watery blisters. Due to the sores it may be quite painful to urinate. The sores may burst, drip fluid or bleed. The sores will heal within the next two to four weeks.
 what is genital herpes?
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The entire genital region may feel very sore or painful. The patient may experience flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, and swollen lymph nodes. In case of repeated outbreaks it tends to be less severe and of shorter duration and the sores heal in almost 10 days.
Genital Herpes can be usually diagnosed by its signs and symptoms. But it can only be confirmed after doing certain tests. The signs and symptoms of HSV-2 Herpes infection differ greatly from Type-1 herpes infection. Health care service providers perform the diagnosis of both the HSV-1 and HSV-2 genital herpes infection by inspecting visually. They look for the infection whether the outbreak is typical. They take a sample from the sores and test it in the laboratory. Usually the diagnosis of genital herpes infection between outbreaks is done by blood tests. Blood tests can be quite helpful in the diagnosis of genital herpes. Blood tests detect antibodies to HSV-1 or HSV-2 herpes infection. Though blood tests are helpful but the results are not always clear-cut.
