title: Epidemiology of genital herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 infections in southwestern Finland during a 10-year period (2003-2012).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to analyze the proportion of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) in genital infections during a 10-year period (2003-2012) among outpatients of a clinic of sexually transmitted disease in Southwestern Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed prospectively the proportion of HSV-1- or HSV-2-positive culture samples from our sexually transmitted disease clinic outpatients with genital herpes infection during the years 2003 to 2012 and compared the proportions of positive HSV-1 and HSV-2 findings with the age and sex of the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Herpes simplex virus type 2 was typed in 66.4% (557/839) and HSV-1 in 33.6% (282/839) of the patients during the entire study period. The mean age of male patients (26.3 years) with a laboratory-confirmed HSV-1 infection was significantly lower than that in male patients with an HSV-2 infection in 2003 to 2007 (26.3 vs. 32.9 years), with P < 0.0001, and (28.6 vs. 34.0) P < 0.0019 in 2008 to 2012, respectively. More female than male patients had HSV-1 infection; in the first study period (2003-2007), 58% were female, and in 2008 to 2012, it was again 63.6%. There was no significant difference between the age of female patients with HSV-1 and those with HSV-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Herpes simplex virus type 2 was still the most common causative agent of genital herpes in Southwestern Finland, but the proportion of HSV-1 was increasingly high. The age difference between male patients with HSV-1 and HSV-2 narrowed during the years studied.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of *Dermatovenereology and †Virology, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Outi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kortekangas-Savolainen
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orhanen
authors.forename: Teemu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Puodinketo
authors.forename: Tytti
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vuorinen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D017735:Virus Latency