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Article: New cold sore treatments combat 100 million outbreaks in U.S. each year
- Article from:
- Drug Topics
- Article date:
- September 15, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Advanstar Communications, Inc. Sep 15, 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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They may go by the innocuous names of cold sores or fever blisters, but in reality those painful and unsightly eruptions outside the mouth - on the lips, chin, or cheeks, or in the nostrils - are predominantly caused by the highly contagious herpes simplex I (HSV1) virus (as opposed to canker sores inside the mouth, which are caused by allergic reactions or faulty immune systems).
Approximately 80 percent of all Americans arc infected with HSV1 and approximately 20 percent to 40 percent of adults suffer from recurrent outbreaks of cold sores. About 100 million episodes of recurrent cold sores occur yearly in the United States alone. And currently there is no cure. Small wonder that pharmacy ...