title: Genital herpes: oral antiviral treatments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Genital herpes is an infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2), and is among the most common sexually transmitted diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of different oral antiviral treatments versus each other for a first episode of genital herpes in HIV-negative people? What are the effects of different antiviral treatments for genital herpes in HIV-positive people? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to October 2013 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found eight studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: aciclovir, famciclovir, and valaciclovir.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, US.
authors: Lisa M
authors: LM
authors: Hollier
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Eppes
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents