Herpesvirus infections in adults — labial herpes case study

Due to the widespread prevalence of labial herpes, it constitutes a significant challenge not only for patients, who commonly do not seek medical assistance, but also for healthcare professionals across various specialties — including dermatologists, immunologists, and dentists. These practitioners frequently encounter severe, recurrent manifestations of herpesvirus infections. This review article addresses the issues associated with labial herpes, providing current insights into the pathogenesis and immune response patterns in herpesvirus infection. It also discusses different clinical presentations and potential diagnostic errors. The article delineates primary treatment tactics for herpesvirus infections, emphasizing both etiotropic and immunomodulatory therapeutic approaches. The administration of immunotropic agents should be informed by a detailed understanding of the disease's immunopathogenesis, as well as the capabilities offered by modern immunodiagnostics and immunopharmacology. Furthermore, the article presents case studies involving patients with labial herpes who were treated using a topical gel form of an immunomodulatory phytopharmaceutical. The findings suggest that this dosage form can be effectively utilized as an adjunctive topical therapy for managing recurrences of herpesvirus infections caused by herpes simplex virus type 1. KEYWORDS: herpes simplex viruses, HSV-1, labial herpes, immunomodulators, topical therapy, polysaccharides of the plant Solanum tuberosum. FOR CITATION: Shulzhenko A.E., Shchubelko R.V., Zuikova I.N. Herpesvirus infections in adults — labial herpes case study. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2024;8(11):674–680 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2024-8-11-11