Prevalence of recurrent herpes labialis and aphthous ulcers among young adults on six continents.
The prevalence of recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) and recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) in young adults - - 635 armed-forces recruits and 9897 health-profession students - - in 48 institutions in 21 countries was determined by a questionnaire survey. Two or more occurrences (lifetime prevalence) of RHL were reported by 33.2% of men and 28.0% of women; the corresponding figures for RAU were 38.7% and 49.7%. North American respondents, mainly from Canada, had a significantly higher prevalence of both lesions. There were some differences in relation to profession. Approximately 15% of all the people surveyed had had herpes labialis and 25% had had aphthous ulcers at least once during the previous year. Persons with a history of recurrence of one lesion were more likely to have a history of recurrence of the other.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa; D001208:Asia; D001315:Australia; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006560:Herpes Labialis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009656:North America; D012008:Recurrence; D012737:Sex Factors; D013020:South America; D013281:Stomatitis, Aphthous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013336:Students, Health Occupations