Herpes on Tongue

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I started getting sores on my tongue after i get a cold sore, which I have always had, about 5 months ago and these sores on my tongue have been constant since than. The start as a small dot that develops a white ring and the white ring spreads outward and the sore gets bigger with a shallow red sore inside it. They start and take about 10-15 days to heal and typically occur in same areas, back of tongue and tip of tongue. My tongue also feels hot and burns. My dr said she was pretty sure it was herpes virus that caused my cold sore, so i guess spread to the tongue. I did a swab and it came back normal but my dr said thats bc the sores had been there for several days and the swab would need to be done in the first 48hrs. Problem is, in the first two days theres nothing really there. My question does this sound like herpes? and if so, why is it constant and will I get this throughout my life?

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also, i have had these sores constantly for almost 6 months now. why would herpes be this persistent?

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Is it likely than if I had a herpes outbreak on my tongue that I will get outbreaks on my tongue throughout my life?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Cold sores around the mouth could spread to the tongue and is referred to as herpes infection, which is caused by Herpes simplex virus. The virus can lie dormant and can get reactivated at intervals producing symptoms. Hence there is no permanent cure. But anti-viral medications like acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir are known to shorten outbreaks and improve symptoms. It depends on one’s immunity also. If it is good the person may have less number of reactivations. If the immunity is relative less than he is likely to have more symptoms.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.