Abstract: Objective To study the clinical effects of valacyclovir administered as suppressive therapy for patients with recurrent genital herpes(GH). Methods A total of 120 patients were randomly divided into four groups: patients in group 1 were treated with 400 mg aciclovir, Bid for 6 months; those in group 2 were treated with 500 mg valaciclovir, qd for 6 months; those in group 3, were treated with 500 mg valaciclovir, Bid for 3 months; and those in group 4, were treated with 500 mg valaciclovir, Bid for 3 months, and then with 500 mg valaciclovir, qd for 3 months. The patients were observed for the recurrence of GH after treatment and were followed up, and the viral load of HSV-2 DNA was monitored. Results Compared with pre-therapy, the recurrence of GH was significantly reduced in all the 4 groups, especially in group 4. Administration of 500 mg valaciclovir, Bid, could inhibit the replication of HSV-2 efficiently, and the subsequent reduced dose treatment additionally inhibited the replication of HSV-2. Conclusion Valaciclovir can not only reduce the recurrence of GH, but also efficiently inhibit replication of HSV-2.

Key words: genital herpes, valaciclovir, viral inhibition therapy