Modern approaches to the therapy of genital herpes in women

Abstract

Genital herpes (GH) is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is characterized by lifelong infection and periodic reactivation. Until recently, GH was more often caused by HSV type 2 (HSV-2), but now it very common infection cases by HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and in some countries are even more common than HSV-2. More than 400 million people currently have GH caused by HSV-2 in the world. In the United States nearly one in five adults (approximately 40 million people) are infected with HSV-2. About 1 million new infections occur every year.Recently, much attention has been paid to the issue of new approaches to GH therapy in women. The problem is extremely urgent, since this infection is very common in the world. The main causes of GH are HSV-1 and HSV-2.Approaches to the treatment of GH differ depending on the type of virus (HSV-1 or HSV-2), as well as the absence or presence of clinical manifestations. The analysis of literature data shows that is there are two ways of GH treatment: episodic antiviral therapy, when patients undergo short courses of antiviral therapy during GH relapse, or suppressive antiviral therapy, when patients take medication daily to prevent relapses.Our clinical experience allows us to recommend the ukrainian drug Virostat (manufacturer “Kyiv Vitamin Plant”) for the treatment of HSV infection in women. The scheme of treatment with the Virostat depends on whether these are the first manifestations of infection or its recurrence.There are no approved vaccines for the treatment and prevention of GH, therefore, active prevention and early diagnosis increase the chances of safe and effective treatment of GH in women of different age groups and at different stages of the disease.