Symptoms:

Symptoms include:

• Chills
• Difficulty swallowing
• Fever
• Herpes in the mouth (herpes labialis)
• Joint pain or other general symptoms
• Painful swallowing

Healthy people recover on their own in 3 - 5 days, but those with a weakened immune system take longer to get better.

Signs and tests:

• Culture of cells from the esophagus
• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with or without biopsy

Treatment:

The objective of treatment is to control the infection with antiviral medications. Some people also get pain medicine.

Expectations (prognosis):

Esophagitis can usually be treated effectively. The outcome depends upon the immune system problem that makes the person more likely to develop the infection.

Complications:

Complications include recurrent infections.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you have any condition that can cause reduced immune response and you develop symptoms of herpes esophagitis.

Prevention:

The herpes simplex virus is contagious by direct contact, so avoid contact with known herpes lesions.