Herpes simplex natural history, complications and prognosis

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1], Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]

Complications

1) Recurrent episodes of painful genital sores.

2)Severe infection in people with suppressed immune systems.

3) Psychological distress.

4) Genital HSV can lead to potentially fatal infections in babies.

• It is important that women avoid contracting herpes during pregnancy because a newly acquired infection during late pregnancy poses a greater risk of transmission to the baby.
• If a woman has active genital herpes at delivery, a cesarean delivery is usually performed.
• Fortunately, infection of a baby from a woman with herpes infection is rare.

4) Herpes may play a role in the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Herpes can make people more susceptible to HIV infection, and it can make HIV-infected individuals more infectious.