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Stephen L. Sacks, Frequency and Duration of Patient-Observed Recurrent Genital Herpes Simplex Virus Infection: Characterization of the Nonlesional Prodrome, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 150, Issue 6, December 1984, Pages 873–877, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/150.6.873
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Abstract
For assessment of the natural history of patient-observed episodes of genital herpes, 32 patients with culture-proven, recurrent herpes were studied during 340 disease episodes for approximately seven and one-half months. Prodromes were experienced by 29 patients (90.6%) in 201 episodes (59.1%). Nonlesional prodromes were observed in 67 episodes (19.7%) and occurred at least once in 14patients (43.8%). Vesicles were more likely to occur in men, wet ulcers in women. When all episodes were considered, the time to total healing was 5.65 ± 3.73 days. Excluding episodes of nonlesional prodrome, the time to total healing was 6.83 ± 3.7 days. Nonlesional prodromes occur commonly and usually resolve without therapy. Recurrent disease as observed by the patient is shorter than recurrent disease as observed in the clinic; this observation may affect the outcome of patient-initiated therapeutic trials.