Two-day regimen of acyclovir for treatment of recurrent genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection.
The standard course of antiviral therapy for recurrent genital herpes requires administration of multiple doses of medication for 5 days. To assess the efficacy of a shorter course of antiviral therapy, patients with recurrent genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of acyclovir (800 mg given by mouth 3 times per day [t.i.d.]) for 2 days. Of 131 people enrolled in the study, 84 (51 women and 33 men) were observed for >/=1 recurrence and 65 were observed for 2 recurrences, for which the patient was administered the same study drug (acyclovir or placebo). Acyclovir therapy (800 mg given by mouth t.i.d. for 2 days) significantly reduced the duration of lesions (median for acyclovir versus placebo, 4 days versus 6 days; P=.001), episode (4 days versus 6 days; P<.001), and viral shedding (25 hours versus 58.5 hours; P=.04), and it increased the proportion of aborted episodes (P=.029). A 2-day course of acyclovir is a convenient alternative for treatment of recurrent genital herpes.
Wald
Anna
A
Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. annawald@u.washington.edu
Carrell
David
D
Remington
Michael
M
Kexel
Elizabeth
E
Zeh
Judy
J
Corey
Lawrence
L
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000212:Acyclovir