Herpes Doctor

If you are in good health, you wouldn't normally be able to
tell if you have Cytomegalovirus (CMV). If you are not in good health,
CMV can cause other illnesses but only a doctor's
diagnosis would determine if CMV is the source or
not.

You do not need to see a doctor if you are suspicious of
CMV but if you have symptoms of some kind that
worry you, then you should see a doctor.

By the Age of 40 - Most People Have CMV

Cytomegalovirus is a Beta Herpes virus and usually has no
symptoms in healthy people. It is very common, nearly all
people have it by the age of 40.

It doesn't usually have any
complications. It spreads via bodily fluids such as tears, blood,
urine, semen, saliva, breast milk etc and requires intimate
contact to spread. It is mostly contagious in the incubation
period of 3 to 4 weeks and a couple of months after. It will
stay in your body permanently along with the antibodies your
body produced to fight the virus and keep it latent.

CMV: Harmless for Most People - But there are Risk Groups

AIDS patients, organ transplant patients, immunocompromised
patients etc are at risk from CMV which in these
patients can cause other illnesses, such as Retinitis, Hepatitis
and others. There is no cure for Cytomegalovirus but antiviral
treatment can be prescribed which will have considerable effect.

Women who do not already have Cytomegalovirus run a small risk
if they catch it when they are pregnant as it can cause serious
defects such as brain damage, hearing and visual impairment etc in
babies born with CMV. 1 to 3% of women who do not
already have CMV risk catching it during pregnancy and
45% of these babies will have damage caused by the virus.
The women themselves are quite safe from CMV related
conditions.

Related Links

• Symptoms of Cytomegalovirus
• Can Cytomegalovirus cause complications?

Still Need Help?

Why not ask your question in our Public Q&A Forum? We'd be glad to hear from you and will try to help as best we can ;-)