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
. 2024 Mar;108(2):311-323.
doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2023.08.016. Epub 2023 Oct 8.

Herpes Simplex Virus: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis, Management, and Patient Counseling for the Primary Care Clinician

Teresa A Batteiger  1 , Cornelis A Rietmeijer  2
Affiliations
Review

Herpes Simplex Virus: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis, Management, and Patient Counseling for the Primary Care Clinician

Teresa A Batteiger et al. Med Clin North Am. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Genital herpes is a chronic, lifelong sexually transmitted viral infection, which can cause recurrent, self-limited genital ulcers. It is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and type 2 viruses. Genital HSV infection is a very prevalent STI, which causes self-limited, recurrent genital ulcers. Treatment decreases duration of symptoms and signs and can be provided as episodic or suppressive therapy. Genital herpes can have a substantial impact during pregnancy and on sexual health in general. Counseling on natural history, transmission, treatment, and management of sexual partners is an integral part of management of genital herpes.

Keywords: HSV counseling; HSV diagnosis; HSV treatment; Herpes simplex virus (HSV).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure T.A. Batteiger and C.A. Rietmeijer have no disclosures.