Genital herpes in adolescents

Beth A. Auslander, Frank M. Biro, Susan L. Rosenthal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections occur commonly among adolescents. Most HSV-2 infections are genital, but genital herpes can be caused by either HSV-1 or HSV-2. Weighted means were calculated based on published seroprevalence data on adolescents from the United States and found HSV-1 rates of 53.1 percent for adolescent males and 49.4 percent for adolescent females. The weighted means for HSV-2 was 15 percent for adolescent females and 12 percent for adolescent males. Most individuals who are infected with HSV-2 are unaware of their infection. Healthcare providers of adolescents should consider genital herpes even when an adolescent presents with nonspecific genital symptoms. In this article, we review current recommendations for diagnosis and management and review the psychological sequelae that can be associated with having genital herpes. Finally, we discuss biomedical interventions that are being developed to help reduce the epidemic of HSV and the challenges that these interventions face with regard to implementation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)24-30
Number of pages7
JournalSeminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Volume16
Issue number1 SPEC.ISS.
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Microbiology (medical)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Genital herpes in adolescents'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this