HSV-1 emerges as main cause of recurrent genital ulcerative disease in women in Northern Ireland

HSV-1, classically associated with cold sores, is increasingly being recognised as the cause of genital herpes. A recent study in Belfast confirms that this trend is observed in Ireland too.

In the study, sixty nine patients with recurrent genital herpes (44 females and 25 males) were identified and their records were examined . From the female records included in the study, 34 cases of genital herpes infection were caused by HSV-1 and ten by HSV-2. In men, however, only one case of infection was caused by HSV-1 and 24 by HSV-2. The average age of the females was 26 and the average age of the males was 39 years. The researchers concluded that HSV-1 has become as common as HSV-2 as the cause of recurrent genital herpes infection in Northern Ireland, almost entirely due to the increase in rates among women. In addition, women were found to experience genital herpes infections at an earlier age, compared to the men.

Source: PUBMED

Reference:
Coyle PV, O'Neill HJ, Wyatt DE, McCaughey C, Quah S, McBride MO. Emergence of herpes simplex type 1 as the main cause of recurrent genital ulcerative disease in women in Northern Ireland. J Clin Virol. 2003 May;27(1):22-9.