Abstract
Background and objectiveThe epidemiology of genital herpes has changed in recent years with an increase in the incidence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with genital herpes. Material and methodsWe designed a descriptive, observational study to analyze all cases of genital herpes diagnosed at a sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic in Valencia, Spain. ResultsWe identified 895 STI diagnoses. Of these, 126 (14%) were genital herpes; 68 (54%) of these cases were in women and 58 (46%) in men. Diagnosis was confirmed by molecular detection of HSV DNA in 110 cases (87.3%). Of these, 52 were cases of HSV-1 infection (47.3%) and 58 were HSV-2 infection (52.7%). HSV-2 was more common in men (69.5%), while HSV-1 was more common in women (59.3%). In the subgroup of women, mean age at diagnosis was 26 years for HSV-1 and 34 years for HSV-2 (P = .015). Recurrent genital herpes rates were 13% for HSV-1 and 40% for HSV-2. ConclusionsThere has been an increase in the number of cases of genital herpes caused by HSV-1 in our setting, with young women in particular being affected. This has important prognostic implications because genital herpes caused by HSV-1 is less likely to recur.
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