Guide To The Causes And Risk Factors For Cold Sores

Anti-Rejection Drugs

Anti-rejection drugs can have serious interactions with the virus after patients have an organ transplant. Studies indicate individuals with any herpes virus have a much larger rate of mortality and other medical complications following transplants. In fact, more recipients may have issues due to cold sore viruses than nearly any other condition. When a patient has an organ transplant, they will begin taking immunosuppressant drugs. These reduce the risk of the patient's immune system rejecting the organ, a complication that's nearly always fatal. But the side effect is their immune system is then impaired. It can't fight the virus in their body, which may cause flare-ups of cold sores. In the past several years, this complication has been mitigated slightly by improving diagnostic techniques to recognize herpes. There has also been research done on how antiviral drugs might help with treating herpes infections in organ transplant patients. Infections do often pose challenges to transplant recipients regardless, though. In addition to the virus that causes cold sores, eight other herpes viruses that can cause issues.