Mouth rot, Stomatitis AphtosaThe disease, formerly often referred to as mouth rot, is caused by the herpes virus subgroup HSV 1 and mostly occurs in younger patients and children. A first occurrence is also possible in adulthood. In some exceptional cases, adults may also be affected by the disease.
The transmission is mostly through saliva, rarely directly through the skin. In most cases, the virus enters the body through contaminated cutlery or dishes or through oral saliva transmission and can remain unnoticed for a certain time. In some cases, an outbreak of a herpes infection then occurs, which manifests itself in the form of visible blisters, so-called fever blisters.
Symptoms
The first symptoms after infection and outbreak of the herpes disease are days of persistent high fever and poor general condition of the patient, which can manifest itself in weakness, loss of appetite and difficulty swallowing. Furthermore, sore throat and symptoms similar to the clinical picture of angina are also described. As the disease progresses, there is a massive reddening of the cheek mucous membrane and gums.
At this time, even small skin elevations and irritations of the gums can be seen at times. If the herpes disease now breaks out completely in the following days, the skin changes typical for herpes infections occur. These consist of ulcerations of the mucous membrane and blistering.
The vesicles are small, only a few millimeters in diameter, and are grouped together in small groups. The throat and pharynx area can also be affected by these vesicles and can cause symptoms such as difficulty swallowing and burning as well as sometimes very severe pain. The danger of a herpes simplex infection of the throat area is that contact with the blood vessels can also cause the viral load to become so high that a massive systematic infection of the body can occur.
In this case one also speaks of herpes sepsis, which can sometimes lead to life-threatening conditions. While for the other herpes infections often the eye diagnosis is sufficient, there are still some differential diagnoses for the mouth and throat infection which can be ruled out because they cause similar symptoms. Many childhood diseases or a classic angina can initially cause similar complaints and symptoms.
Only when a blister formation occurs can a herpes infection be assumed. Since the disease often affects small children, the first symptom that parents notice is fever and, due to sore throat, refusal to eat. The pediatrician should also examine the entire patient to see if there are other skin lesions of the infection.
It is often the case that there are also some blisters on the lip, or more precisely on the outside of the lip, which are grouped together in small groups. This also points to a herpes virus infection. Herpes infection in the mouth is a viral infection of the oral mucosa and gums and is caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1).
It occurs mainly in small children. The cause of herpes in the mouth is usually the so-called herpes simplex virus type 1, which mainly affects the lips and the oral cavity. It is therefore also called the “oral type”.
In contrast, type 2 attacks the genital and possibly also the anal region and is therefore also called the “genital type”. The herpes simplex virus belongs to the group of so-called DNA viruses. The genetic material of DNA viruses is present in the form of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
This type of genetic material is also known in humans, where the genetic material is also present as a DNA strand. However, there are also other forms of viruses whose genetic material is not in the form of DNA, but in the form of RNA (ribonucleic acid). The Herpes simplex virus belongs to the herpes virus family.
This also includes various other viruses, such as the herpes zoster virus, the cytomegalovirus or the Epstein-Barr virus. All these viruses, although they belong to the family of herpes viruses, cause very different diseases. Herpes zoster, for example, is known as the causative agent of chickenpox, while the Epstein-Barr virus is known as the causative agent of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever.
It is therefore important to know that when one speaks of herpes in the mouth, there is always an infection with the herpes simplex virus.After an infection with the virus and the symptoms subside, it does not disappear completely from the body. Instead, it migrates along the nerve fibers to their cell bodies and remains there until the next infection. So if you are infected with the pathogen once, you carry it inside you for the rest of your life.
This results in a very high degree of infestation. If the immune system is weakened in the course of a lifetime, be it by a cold or simply stress, it is possible that the herpes outbreak will occur again. In adulthood, however, it is not usually herpes that develops in the mouth, but a cold sore on the lips, as many people probably know it. Diseases caused by the herpes simplex virus are among the most common infectious diseases. It is transmitted by so-called droplet and smear infections, for example by kissing, coughing or using the same cutlery.
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