Cold sores

Introduction: Cold sores

Small, painful, fluid-filled blisters that occur on the skin, mouth or nose and especially on the lips. Pain and tingling is often felt a day or two prior to the blisters occurring. Cold sores are very common. They are caused by the herpes simplex virus and are contagious.

Symptoms of Cold sores

• No symptoms - up to 90% of cases are asymptomatic and subclinical; latent phase also has no symptoms.
• Lip ulcers
• Mouth ulcers
• Genital ulcers - rarely
• Corneal ulcers

See full list of 8 symptoms of Cold sores

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Cold sores:

• Home STD Testing
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  • Home Trichomonas Tests
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• Sexuality & Libido: Home Testing:
  • Home Hormone Tests
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• Liver Health: Home Testing
  • Home Hepatitis Tests
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Medical Textbooks Online about Cold sores

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Cold sores?

• Misdiagnosis of Cold sores
• Underlying causes of Cold sores (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Misdiagnosis and Cold sores

Sinusitis is overdiagnosed: There is a tendency to give a diagnosis of sinusitis, when the condition is really a harmless complication of another infection, such as a common cold....read more »

Whooping cough often undiagnosed: Although most children in the Western world have been immunized against whooping cough (also called "pertussis"), this protection wears off after about 15 years....read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Cold sores

Causes of Cold sores

• Herpes virus
• Herpes Simplex virus type 1

Read more about causes of Cold sores

More information about causes of Cold sores:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Cold sores (5 listings)
• Underlying causes of Cold sores
• Cold sores as a symptom

Treatments for Cold sores

• Topical creams
• Acyclovir (Zovirax)

Read more about treatments for Cold sores

Videos for Cold sores

Patient Surveys for Cold sores

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Cold sores
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Prognosis for Cold sores

More about prognosis of Cold sores

Statistics for Cold sores

• Medical statistics for Cold sores
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Cold sores
• Death and Mortality statistics for Cold sores
• Society statistics for Cold sores

Stories from Users Related to Cold sores

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User Interactive Forums

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Definitions of Cold sores:

Caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) - (Source - WordNet 2.1)