Genital Infection With Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and Type 2 in Valencia, Spain; A Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction and objective: The 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 methods: A retrospective observational study was designed. All patients diagnosed with genital herpes between January 2016 and January 2019 in a Sexually Transmitted Infections Unit (ITS) in Valencia, Spain, were included. Results: We 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. Conclusions: There has been an increase in the number of cases of genital herpes caused by HSV1 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. (C) 2019 AEDV. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.