Severe genital herpes may be the reason of infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss and IVF failures.
103 women (mean age 30.8 ± 0.82) with severe genital herpes (mean recurrence per year 7.5 ± 0.6) were included in study. We tested cervical samples for cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alfa, IFN-gamma) and serum samples for CD69+, CD25+ and HLA-DR+ during recurrence, remission and after 8-month Valaciclovir treatment in the dose of 500 mg per day. Control group was ten healthy women without genital herpes and HSV antibodies G and M in serum.
During herpes recurrence, the local levels of TNF-alfa increased twice and 8 times as much as compared to remission and the controls, IFN-gamma – 1.5 and 2.3 times, CD69+ – 1.4 and 3.3 times, CD25+ – 1.4 and 2.5 times, HLA-DR+ – 1.6 .and 2.5 times (p < 0.05). IL-10 decreased 4 and 3.3 times as less. After Valaciclovir treatment, the cervical levels of TNF-alfa decreased by 60%, CD69+ – 26%, HLA-DR+ – 23.6% (p < 0.05).
very high levels of inflammatory markers in cervix and serum during severe genital herpes confirm an important role of HSV in genital inflammation, cervical and endometrial pathology, and allow to consider genital herpes as an inflammatory process.