Infectious disease

Genital herpes

Genital herpes is an infection caused mainly by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). It is part of the diseases included in the TORCH panel.The transmission is almost exclusively sexually. Rarely, it is transmitted from mother to child during childbirth, causing neonatal herpes. The symptoms are pain, itching, ulcers and scabs. During the initial outbreak, flu-like symptoms may appear. In many cases, there are either no symptoms or they are very mild. Recurrences are frequent, and you may experience burning, tingling and itching in the area, or pain in the lower back, buttocks or legs before the recurrence. Treatment consists of antivirals to help sores heal more quickly, decrease the severity and duration of symptoms, reduce the frequency of recurrence, and minimize transmission. As prevention it is recommended to practice safe sex and not have intercourse during an outbreak. The diagnosis of genital herpes is made by viral culture, PCR and detection of antibodies in the blood.

Genital herpes due to HSV-2 is a very widespread infection worldwide, lasts a lifetime and has no cure. It is estimated that around 500 million people are infected worldwide. There are more women than men infected, and the prevalence increases with age, despite the fact that there are a higher number of infections in adolescents. Between 10%-20% of infected people have been diagnosed, and up to a third of people with a new infection may develop symptoms. HSV-2 infection triples the risk of HIV infection, and increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. People infected with HSV-2 and HIV are more likely to transmit AIDS, with HSV-2 infection being one of the most frequent in patients with HIV (60%-90%).

There is a certain percentage of genital infections that can be attributed to HSV-1, so distinguishing the type of virus causing this infection is very important, since genital HSV-1 infections they are not as severe clinically and are less likely to recur than those caused by HSV-2.