TO THE EDITOR: I am trained in, and...

TO THE EDITOR: I am trained in, and am an avid supporter of family medicine. As a lecturer forward sexually transmitted infections, I was eager to read the article by the agency of Dr. Beauman, "Genital Herpes: A Review," (1) in the October 15 2005 issue of American Family Physician. The article was pensive and the author handled the complexities of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection well.

I was dismayed, however, through the patient education handout entitled, "Genital Herpes: What You Should Know,"1 which followed the article and has a significantly inaccurate statement in the first paragraph. The handout states: "Genital herpes is caused by dint of a different type of the same virus that causes cutting sores on the mouth." (1) This statement does not mirror the current incidence of HSV-1 among fresh cases of genital herpes. (2-4) Historically, HSV-2 was by means of far the most common cause of genital herpes; however, studies (56) through the whole extent of the past few years document a rising incidence of HSV-1 in genital lesions, as high as 50 percent in adolescent populations and as high as 78 percent in body populations.

Explaining the transmission of genital herpes and the risks of oral sex to young clan who often do not view oral sex as "sex" requires that we, as family medicine specialists, be in succession the forefront of educating our patients about this worrisome turn This statement in the handout is outdated and a disservice to our patients.

MARY JO thickets M.D.

Wittenberg University

Ward St at North Wittenberg Ave.

Shouvlin Center expanse 003

Springfield, OH 45504

REFERENCES

(1) Beauman JG Genital herpes: a review. Am Fam Physician 2005;72:1527-341541-2

(2) Manavi K McMillan A, Ogilvie M Herpes simplex virus shadow 1 remains the principal cause of initial anogenital herpes in Edinburgh, Scotland. Sex Transm Dis 2004;31:322-4

(3) Jonsson MK Wahren B Sexually transmitted herpes simplex viruses. Scand J Infect Dis 2004;36:93-101

(4) Auslander BA, Biro FM Rosenthal SL Genital herpes in adolescents. Semin Pediatr Infect Dis 2005;16:24-30

(5) Roberts CM Pfister JR Spear SJ Increasing proportion of herpes simplex virus adumbration 1 as a cause of genital herpes infection in community students. Sex Transm Dis 2003;30:797-800

(6) Lowhagen GB Tunback P Andersson K Bergstrom T Johannisson G First episodes of genital herpes in a Swedish STD population: a studious mood of epidemiology and transmission according to the use of herpes simplex virus (HSV) typing and specific serology Sex Transm Infect 2000;76:179-82

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thank-you to Dr thickets for pointing out the discrepancy between the article and patient education handout. As Dr Beauman states, the two types of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) may cause genital infections that are clinically indistinguishable. We agree that oral-genital contact is an underrecognized moreover increasingly common mode of transmission of the pair types of herpes simplex virus. Accordingly, this patient education handout has been updated in succession our Web site (http://www.aafp.org./afp/ 20051015/1541phhtml)

KENNETH W LIN, MD

Assistant Editor

American Family Physician

COPYRIGHT 2006 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group