Hemorrhoids are varicose veins -- blood vessels that have become unusually swollen -- that show up in the rectal area. Hemorrhoids typically range from the size of a raisin to the size of a grape. They can be merely itchy or downright painful, and sometimes they can even cause rectal bleeding, especially during a bowel movement. Sometimes the enlarged veins protrude through the anus. When this happens, you'll feel a soft, swollen mass. Hemorrhoids are relatively common during pregnancy. ... Read Full Story

In adults, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1) accounts for 95% of all fatal cases of sporadic encephalitis and usually results from reactivation of the latent virus. The clinical findings and neuroimaging appearance are both consistent with spread of the virus from a previously infected ganglion. In children and neonates, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV 2) accounts for 80-90% of neonatal and almost all congenital infections. An isolated case report of an immunocompromised adult patient dev... Read Full Story

Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), of which almost 200 strains have been identified to date. More strains seem to be discovered year by year, creating a huge challenge for warts cure treatments. They are extremely common, yet strangely amongst the most difficult conditions in dermatology to treat and eradicate. Neoplastic lesions, inflammatory lesions and normal physical findings can be mistaken for genital warts. The performance of physical examination using bright light a... Read Full Story

Genital herpes is the main cause of genital ulcers worldwide; the prevalence of HSV 2 infections in the general population ranges from 10% to 60%. Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2, although HSV-1 accounts for about half of new cases in developed countries. The risk of HIV acquisition is three times higher in people with HSV-2. Neonatal herpes is an uncommon but serious complication of genital herpes. The acquisition of genital herpes during pregnancy has been associated with spontaneou... Read Full Story

Trichloracetic acid (TCA) can be used to treat genital warts. It is a caustic that erodes the skin and mucous membranes, but generally is not absorbed systemically. TCA is topically applied in a solution concentration of 60-90 percent. It is most effective when treating few small, moist lesions. TCA also can be used to treat vaginal and anal lesions. A small amount of TCA can be applied to a wart and allowed to dry until a white frosting develops. If excess TCA is applied to non-affected tis... Read Full Story

Cognitive functioning and serologic evidence of infection with potentially neurotropic herpes viruses were measured in 117 individuals with bipolar disorder and in 100 individuals without a history of psychiatric disorder. Cognitive functioning was evaluated with the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status. For each patient, serologic evidence of infection was ascertained by the measurement of serum immunoglobulin G class antibodies with specificities for six poten... Read Full Story

Genital wart is very common in sexually active adults. Most infections do not result in the manifestation of genital warts. The annual incidence of genital warts is 1-2 percent of the sexually active population. Genital warts are almost always spread by sexual contact but vertical transmission and autoinoculation do occur rarely. Genital warts are not themselves cancerous, but warts caused by high risk types of HPV are predisposed to oncogenic transformation. All female patients with anogeni... Read Full Story

In a mouse model, a type of facial paralysis called Bell's palsy has been linked to the presence and reactivation of latent HSV-1 inside the sensory nerves of the face (geniculate ganglia). This is supported by findings that show the presence of HSV-1 DNA in saliva at a higher frequency in patients with Bell's palsy relative to those without the condition. However, since HSV can also be detected in these ganglia in large numbers of individuals that have never experienced facial paral... Read Full Story

Imiquimod is a patient-applied immunomodulatory topical treatment of genital warts. Imiquimod induces macrophages to secrete cytokines IL-2, IFN-α 1 and 2, IFN-β, IFN-γ and TGF-α. IFN-α is probably the most important cytokine inducing genital wart clearance. This duration of treatment is longer than that of any other genital wart treatment. A clinical response with imiquimod is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of HPV DNA and of messenger RNA for HPV protei... Read Full Story

There is currently no cure that can eradicate herpes virus from the body, but antiviral medications can reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of outbreaks. Very recent advances in the scientific understanding of medicinal plants suggest a much broader use in the treatment for herpes infections than science thought possible just ten years ago. Docosanol is available as a cream for direct application to the affected area of skin. It prevents HSV from fusing to cell membranes, thus barri... Read Full Story