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May 19, 2013
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Oral Herpes (cont.)

Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Oral Herpes (HSV-1) Symptoms and Signs

  • Incubation period: For HSV-1, the amount of time between contact with the virus and the appearance of symptoms, the incubation period, is two to 12 days. Most people average about four days.
  • Duration of illness: Signs and symptoms will last two to three weeks. Fever, tiredness, muscle aches, and irritability may occur.
    • Pain, burning, tingling, or itching occurs at the infection site before the sores appear. Many patients have reported these symptoms prior to the appearance of sores, bumps, or blisters. Then clusters of blisters erupt. These blisters break down rapidly and, when seen, appear as tiny, shallow, gray ulcers on a red base. A few days later, they become crusted or scabbed and appear drier and more yellow.
    • Oral sores: The most intense pain caused by these sores occurs at the onset and can make eating and drinking difficult.
      • The sores can occur on the lips, gums, throat, the front of the tongue, the inside of the cheeks, and the roof of the mouth.
      • They can also extend down the chin and neck.
      • The gums can become mildly swollen, red-colored, and may bleed.
      • Neck lymph nodes often swell and become painful.
      • People in their teens and 20s can develop a painful throat with shallow ulcers and a grayish coating on the tonsils.

Must Read Articles Related to Oral Herpes

Canker Sores
Canker Sores Canker sores (aphthous stomatitis) are among the most common causes of sores in the mouth. Causes of canker sores include heredity, oral trauma, hormonal change...learn more >>
Cold Sores
Cold Sores Cold sores are caused by a viral infection that attacks the skin and nervous system. Cold sores are small, painful, fluid-filled blisters on the mouth or nose.learn more >>
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Oral Herpes - How Did You Manage

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

How do you manage your oral herpes (herpes simplex virus) infection?

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Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Herpes Simplex Encephalitis »

The human herpesvirus (HHV) family includes 2 clinically important strains, also known as herpes simplex virus (HSV).

Read More on Medscape Reference »


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