Another name for the fever blisters is cold sores. The main cause of this condition is herpes simplex virus, actually herpes zoster virus. There are two types of this virus, herpes zoster virus type 1 and herpes zoster virus type 2. In the majority of cases, oral herpes or cold sores are caused due to herpes simplex type 1, while genital herpes occurs due to herpes zoster virus type 2. However, it is not a rule.
Fever blisters are highly contagious and can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, it is very important to avoid kissing during this condition. On the other side, canker sores are not contagious and are marked by the occurrence of blisters inside the mouth. Unlike fever blisters that are caused by a virus, the canker sores are caused bybacteria.
Causes and symptoms of fever blisters
As already mentioned above, the herpes zoster virus is responsible for the outbreak of fever blisters or cold sores. The majority of people have the herpes simplex virus in the end of the nerve cells of the face. The virus stays dormant until it is activated by some factors, such as stress, sunlight exposure, infection and weak immune system, as well as allergy and cold. It may happen that this virus stays inactive during the whole life. Oral herpes or mouth sores usually occurs on the lips, around the mouth, in the gums or inside the mouth. When fever blisters emerge, they are usually accompanied by fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, weakness and body ache.
Home remedies for fever blisters
There are several things that we can do at home to cure this condition very fast. It is highly recommended to apply ice packs on the fever blisters for about ten minutes every hour. Furthermore, tea bags can be also very effective since every tea contains tannic acid, which has an antiviralproperty. Aloe Vera, as well as honey, should also be directly applied to the fever blisters, since they are very powerful in healing the cold sores very fast due to the antiviral features they have. Since the immune system is weak, it is essential to make it strong by consuming a lot of vitamin C, vitamin B12 and lysine. Garlic is also very helpful when fever blisters are in question. The people who suffer from fever blisters should not eat foods rich in acids, such as oranges and tomatoes.
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