Effects of Melatonin Alone or Associated with Acyclovir on the Suppressive Treatment of Recurrent Genital Herpes: A Prospective, Randomized, and Double-Blind Study.
Biomedicines
; 11(4)2023 Apr 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37189706
ABSTRACT
Suppressive therapy of recurrent genital herpes is a challenge, and melatonin may be an alternative. OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the action of melatonin, acyclovir, or the association of melatonin with acyclovir as a suppressive treatment in women with recurrent genital herpes.DESIGN:
The study was prospective, double-blind, and randomized, including 56 patients as follows (a) The melatonin group received 180 placebo capsules in the 'day' container and 180 melatonin 3 mg capsules in the 'night' container (n = 19); (b) The acyclovir group received 360 capsules of 400 mg acyclovir twice a day (one capsule during the day and another during the night) (n = 15); (c) the melatonin group received 180 placebo capsules in the 'day' container and 180 melatonin 3 mg capsules in the 'night' container (n = 22). The length of treatment was six months. The follow-up after treatment was six months. Patients were evaluated before, during, and after treatment through clinical visits, laboratory tests, and the application of four questionnaires (QSF-36, Beck, Epworth, VAS, and LANNS).RESULTS:
No statistically significant difference was observed for the depression and sleepiness questionnaires. However, in the Lanns scale for pain, all groups decreased the mean and median values in time (p = 0.001), without differentiation among the groups (p = 0.188). The recurrence rates of genital herpes within 60 days after treatment were 15.8%, 33.3%, and 36.4% in the melatonin, acyclovir, and association of melatonin with acyclovir groups, respectively.CONCLUSION:
Our data suggest that melatonin may be an option for the suppressive treatment of recurrent genital herpes.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biomedicines
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil