The herpes simplex virus is the cause of one of the most common infections in humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 67% of the population suffers from herpes simplex type 1 and 13% from herpes simplex type 2. In many cases it is a latent condition, although herpes can be reactivated by stress.
Common herpes symptoms include genital sores
Herpes is a common condition caused by an infection with the herpes simplex virus (HSV). About one in seven people have herpes; however, most of them do not know it due to lack of symptoms. If present, common herpes symptoms include genital sores, mouth or mouth sores, eye infection, or even brain swelling if left untreated.
The HSV virus mainly enters your body through a crack or break in your skin or mucous membrane. Once the virus enters your body, it multiplies in your cells. Symptoms can appear 2 to 20 days after exposure to the virus. After this initial infection, the virus travels down the pelvic nerves and remains inactive.
Stress herpes: why is it?
Stress is a determining factor for many diseases. We all experience certain amounts of stress in our day-to-day lives, although when we do it in high doses, complications arise. Many patients diagnosed with herpes begin to develop symptoms after stressful episodes.
Some experts also believe that a weak immune system can reactivate the herpes virus. Since stress influences the immune system, it can trigger a herpes outbreak.
Several studies have also shown that daily stress or stressful events are risk factors for herpes. Stress can act as a trigger if other risk factors are present, such as mood disorders, old age, and poor diet.
Long-term stress and herpes outbreaks
According to a study published in Cell Host and Microbe, cortisol, a stress hormone, activates the nerve pathway c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) to trigger nerve death. The team conducted a new study at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine by forcing the virus to render mouse nerve cells dormant and then reactivate them with chemicals.
Here, the researchers used cortisol and added it to the mouse cell dish. It showed that high cortisol levels triggered the JNK pathway. They also observed that the virus began to leave nerve cells when the JNK protein was activated.
On the other hand, when the JNK pathway was blocked, the virus could not leave the cells and reactivate.
The study also showed that the virus could be reactivated even if viral DNA is repressed in nerve cells. Researchers believe that viral DNA does not undergo a process that opens them (demethylation), which helps reactivate the virus.
However, chemical changes that take place in the body during stress can activate the herpes virus. However, this may not be true for everyone.
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