Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Jan 13;15(1):225.
doi: 10.3390/v15010225.

A Comprehensive Overview of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and the Management of Herpes Labialis

Divya Gopinath  1   2 , Kim Hoe Koe  3 , Mari Kannan Maharajan  4 , Swagatika Panda  5
Affiliations
Review

A Comprehensive Overview of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and the Management of Herpes Labialis

Divya Gopinath et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Herpes labialis remains exceedingly prevalent and is one of the most common human viral infections throughout the world. Recurrent herpes labialis evolves from the initial viral infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) which subsequently presents with or without symptoms. Reactivation of this virus is triggered by psychosocial factors such as stress, febrile environment, ultraviolet light susceptibility, or specific dietary inadequacy. This virus infection is also characterized by uninterrupted transitions between chronic-latent and acute-recurrent phases, allowing the virus to opportunistically avoid immunity and warrant the transmission to other vulnerable hosts simultaneously. This review comprehensively evaluates the current evidence on epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission modes, clinical manifestations, and current management options of herpes labialis infections.

Keywords: antiviral agents; herpes labialis; management; prevention; treatments.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Herpes & Shingles: Symptoms & Treatments—Life Extension. [(accessed on 19 September 2021)]. Available online: https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/infections/herpes-and-shingles.
    1. Birek C., Ficarra G. The diagnosis and management of oral herpes simplex infection. Curr. Infect. Dis. Rep. 2006;8:181–188. doi: 10.1007/s11908-006-0057-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boes H., Goulioumis V., Wechsler A., Zimmer S., Bizhang M. Clinical Study on the Effectiveness of Three Products in the Treatment of Herpes Simplex Labialis. Sci. Rep. 2020;10:6465. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63530-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Petti S., Lodi G. The controversial natural history of oral herpes simplex virus type 1 infection. Oral Dis. 2019;25:1850–1865. doi: 10.1111/odi.13234. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Billions Worldwide Living with Herpes. [(accessed on 9 May 2022)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news/item/01-05-2020-billions-worldwide-living-with-....