SEROPREVALENCE OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS IN DERMATOLOGY PATIENTS

Background: currently there is no published data on herpes simplex virus (hsv) skin infections in saudi patients in eastern saudi arabia. objectives: to assess the seroprevalence of hsv among dermatology patients attending the dermatology clinic. study design: clinical assessment, serological measurement of hsv-1 and hsv-2 antibodies using elisa and an interview-based questionnaire were used. results: the age of the patients (n=150) ranged from 2 years to 63 years (mean 31 years). the clinical presentation included various dermatological conditions including: eczema, vitiligo, herpetic infections, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, acne, tinea capitis, tinea pedis, pityriasis rosea, hair fall, chicken pox, hirsutism, psoriasis, alopecia etc. 133(88.7%) of the patients had detectable levels of hsv-1 igg antibodies whereas 4(2.6%) patients had detectable level of hsv-2 igg antibodies. 2 (1.3%) samples had detectable levels of hsv-1 igm antibodies and none of the samples had detectable level of hsv-2 igm antibodies. there was correlation between hsv-1 igm positivity (n=2) and a clinical diagnosis of herpetic infections. conclusion: the seroprevalence of hsv-1 in this study is high. both serotypes, hsv-1 and hsv-2 may result in significant morbidity. assessment of hsv infections will help in the proper management and epidemiological studies.