Abstract
BackgroundRecurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is a common recurrent infective vesiculoulcerative disease. Topical and systemic administration of Zinc compounds has been indicated to have preventive and therapeutic effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum level of zinc in the patients with RHL and healthy individuals and also to investigate the correlation of this level with various parameters of the patient and disease course.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed on 43 patients with a history of recurrent herpers labialis and 42 subjects without any previous experience of the lesion. Blood samples were taken, and serum zinc level was measured using colorimetry (spectrophotometry) method. Chi-Square test was used to compare the qualitative relationships, and for comparing the quantitative relationships, independent T-test was used. To observe the relationshipof quantitative factors including serum zinc level, the number of relapses, and recovery rates, correlation test was taken.ResultsThe results show that, serum zinc level has no significant difference between healthy subjects and the patients (p > 0.05). Also, zinc level was not related to age and sex factors and frequency of relapse (p > 0.05). However surprisingly, there was a significant relationship between zinc level and recovery period in the RHL patients. The lower the serum zinc level, the higher the duration of recovery (p = 0.009).ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that, zinc deficiency can be considered as a risk factor for increasing the duration of herpes labialis lesions. Therefore, the evaluation of serum zinc level in the subjects with RHL and subsequent administration of zinc are recommended in these kind of patients.
Highlights
Recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is a common recurrent infective vesiculoulcerative disease
Acyclovir is widely used as a systemic agent or with topical application due to the severity of infection, and it is considered as the chosen treatment for herpes labialis infections [6]
Due to the fact that, serum zinc concentration is currently known as the best and most widely used biomarker of zinc status in populations [23], we decided to check this marker in the herpes labialis patients to further evaluate the effect of this element in the prevention and treatment of this recurrent lesion. This cross-sectional study was performed on 85 subjects including 43 patients with the history of recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) and 42 healthy individuals without any history of the disease, who were referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine department of Shiraz dental school in 2018
Summary
Recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is a common recurrent infective vesiculoulcerative disease. The vesicles erupt and turn into multiple small superficial ulcerations that eventually merge forming a painful ulcer covered by Ranjbar et al BMC Oral Health (2020) 20:296 a crust in following days This lesion can be very irritating and disabling due to its pain and unappealing appearance [4, 5]. Nausea, dizziness, headaches, mental changes, neurotoxicity and kidney disorders are the well-known side effects of this drug [8] Nowadays, new treatments such as micro–nano filopodia-like Zinc oxide (ZnO) structures, cinnamon extract or prepared 3-O-sulfonated sugars are introduced to treat herpes simplex infections with fewer side effects [9,10,11]
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