The following is a summary of “Clinical markers of herpes simplex virus infection in patients with pemphigus vulgaris,” published in the MARCH 2023 issue of Dermatology by Konda, et al.
The influence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) on the course of pemphigus vulgaris is well known. Patients with pemphigus vulgaris may experience relapse, exacerbation, and treatment resistance due to HSV infection. For a study, researchers sought to identify the clinical markers of HSV infection in patients with pemphigus vulgaris.
The study involved 60 consecutive patients, and the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with documented HSV infection were compared with those without infection.
The results showed that 23 (38.33%) patients had confirmed HSV infection. Univariate analysis showed that male sex (P = .03), presence of fissures (P = .001), hemorrhagic crusts (P = .003), erosions with angulated margins (P = .024), linear erosions (P = .001), and raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = .015) were significantly associated with HSV infection. Multivariate analysis identified hemorrhagic crusts (P = .015) and linear erosions (P = .008) as independent predictors of HSV infection.
One limitation of the study was that polymerase chain reaction was not used to detect HSV infection, which could have led to more cases of HSV infection. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of HSV superinfection when encountering patients with pemphigus vulgaris who exhibited the clinical markers of fissures, hemorrhagic crusts, linear erosions, erosions with angulated margins, and raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate.