How to Determine if You Have Herpes

To determine whether you have herpes, you can consider the following aspects: 1. **Observe symptoms**: The typical symptoms of herpes include clusters of small blisters on the skin, containing clear fluid, which may be accompanied by pain, burning sensation, or itching. Herpes zoster (shingles) usually appears in a band-like distribution and does not cross the body's midline; while herpes simplex and genital herpes typically manifest as localized lesions. 2. **Understand medical history**: Herpes can be transmitted through direct or indirect contact. If you have had close contact with a herpes patient recently or have experienced triggering factors such as fever, fatigue, chilling, or overexertion, you should highly suspect whether you have contracted herpes. 3. **Perform laboratory tests**: To accurately diagnose herpes, you may visit a hospital for related tests such as viral culture, serological testing (e.g., IgG and IgM antibody testing), or PCR nucleic acid testing to confirm the presence of a herpes virus infection. 4. **Differential diagnosis**: The symptoms of herpes may resemble those of other skin diseases, such as chickenpox, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, or atypical syphilis. Therefore, differential diagnosis should be conducted through medical history inquiry, physical examination, and laboratory testing.