My new boyfriend has Herpes and I have a heart condition.... how will it affect me if I contract it!!

by Ileana
(Mexico)

I just met this wonderful man. I am a widow of 57, and he is a very strong and otherwise healthy 71 year old good looking man. So, we have been seen each other for a couple of weeks and he told me about his Herpes today.


I need to take a decision, I have seen several men since I became a widow 6 years back, but this one seems like the peak of the litter but I am very concerned that with my Cardio-myopathy heart condition this may be a bigger risk for me if I was to be affected by it.

I am very healthy otherwise, but any small illness will affect me more than anyone else. Can anyone out there offer advice, any experience with Herpes and heart conditions or how to really avoid contracting it? I hate condoms and so does he, we talked about it already.... I really feel like jumping to the occasion with this man, but I am afraid....


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Dear Ileana,

In a nutshell, herpes is just a minor skin condition that causes some inconveniences from time to time. It is caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus and resides in the nerve cells at the base of the spine. When it “sheds”, it causes blisters on the surface of the skin of the initial site of exposure. Then the sores disappear on their own after a few days.

There are many contributors to a heart condition; the major causes are diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. Genetics have been shown to play a role, too. With your cardiomyopathy, utmost care should be considered when making decisions health wise—most especially at an advanced age wherein the body might have a reduced capacity to fight off infections.

I'm not a doctor but based on my experience and research, there is no evidence to indicate that the herpes virus can travel to other organs such as the heart. However, a certain type of herpes virus called the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been found to be associated with heart diseases. CMV is from the same family of viruses that cause herpes.

If you are worried about this, best thing to do is to consult with your family doctor to discuss the proper preventive measures to take as well as to know the risks involved for you.

Please take care of yourself.

Good luck!

Gary

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