Is genital herpes serology accurate?

Written by Luo Hong
Dermatology Department
Updated on September 03, 2024
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Serological testing for genital herpes in hospitals generally provides testing for type 1 and type 2 viruses, including IgM and IgG. Over 90% of genital herpes cases are primarily caused by type 2 virus, so the focus is typically on type 2 virus IgG and IgM. However, IgM represents an active infection, meaning a current infection stage. If IgM is negative and IgG is positive, it indicates a past infection. These results are generally accurate, but their timeliness is not as high as DNA's timeliness. Therefore, if possible, it is best to collect vesicle fluid on the first or second day of a herpes outbreak and use PCR to test the DNA for the most accurate results.

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How long will it take for genital herpes to heal after taking medication?

Genital herpes is categorized into primary genital herpes and recurrent genital herpes. Primary genital herpes refers to the first infection of the herpes simplex virus, with a treatment duration generally ranging from two to three weeks, after which symptoms disappear. Recurrent genital herpes refers to the recurrence of the condition after the primary infection lesions have subsided. Treatment typically leads to the disappearance of symptoms within seven to ten days. However, it should be emphasized that genital herpes cannot be completely cured, hence it is recurrent.

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What medicine is good for genital herpes?

For topical treatment of genital herpes, clinicians generally use antiviral medications such as acyclovir ointment, penciclovir cream, sodium phosphonoformate ointment, interferon ointment, and so on. If there is a concurrent bacterial infection, ointments like erythromycin, fusidic acid cream, and mupirocin ointment can be used in combination. Additionally, traditional Chinese medicine ointments that detoxify and dry dampness, such as borax and zinc oxide menthol ointment, can also be used.

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How is AIDS combined with genital herpes diagnosed and treated?

The treatment of AIDS combined with genital herpes requires the management under experienced infectious disease specialists and dermatologists. For AIDS, systematic and standardized antiretroviral therapy is necessary, involving a combination of three or more potent antiretroviral drugs. For genital herpes, antiviral drugs can be selected when necessary, and treatment should be tailored according to the actual situation. Through active management, most conditions can be well controlled.

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Can genital herpes be completely cured?

Genital herpes is a chronic, recurrent, and difficult to cure sexually transmitted disease caused by the infection of the herpes simplex virus in the urogenital and perianal skin and mucous membranes. Currently, there is a lack of drugs in clinical practice that can kill the herpes simplex virus, and also a lack of methods to kill the virus, therefore genital herpes cannot be completely cured.

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Can genital herpes in women heal by itself?

Genital herpes has an intermittent onset because herpes cannot be said to be cured and never recurs. The herpes virus congregates at the sacral nerve roots in the human body. Therefore, when immunity is low, the virus travels along the sacral nerve root to the surface of the skin, causing damage in spots, commonly known as a recurrence of herpes. Thus, genital herpes does not heal on its own; it is merely in a quiescent phase of an outbreak. Therefore, genital herpes is generally harder to treat in females than in males because the female body has a cavity, and herpes inside the cavity may not be visible.