MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Fever blister causes

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Fever blister causes

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Illustrations	Information

Illustrations

Fever blister

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Question:

What causes fever blisters?

Answer:

A fever blister located on the lips, mouth, and face is usually caused by the highly contagious herpes simplex type 1 virus. Only a small percentage are caused by herpes simplex type 2 (the type usually associated with genital lesions). While there is no cure, there are medications that will relieve the pain and itch and speed the healing of the blister. See herpes labialis (oral herpes simplex) for details.

Update Date: 1/18/2007

Updated by: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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