USO DE VACINA IMUNOESTIMULANTE PARA HERPES SIMPLES DE REPETIÇÃO: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA DA LITERATURA

Infection with the herpes simplex virus is considered common throughout the world and clinically manifests signs and symptoms in the oral and genital regions. The natural history of the disease comprises the phases of primary infection, latency and recurrent infection. Although many people infected with the herpes virus may be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, active outbreaks can be intensely uncomfortable, characterized by lesions on the skin or mucous membranes, accompanied by pain, itching and a burning sensation. In addition to the physical symptoms, the emotional impact of herpes should not be underestimated. Among the therapeutic alternatives are antivirals, natural therapies and low-power laser therapy. However, in cases of patients with recurrent herpes this therapy is not always effective, so a new alternative to control the virus is the immunostimulating vaccine. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the immunostimulant vaccine in the treatment of patients with recurrent herpes simplex, through an integrative review of the literature. A search was carried out for articles in electronic databases, such as MEDLINE, via PubMed, LILACS, via VHL, and Scielo, published between 2011 and 2024 that addressed studies of herpes simplex with randomized clinical trials, associating the descriptors: “recurrent herpes simplex”, or “immunostimulating vaccine”, or “recurrent herpes treatment”, without language restrictions. 17 studies were found, of which, after excluding duplicates and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria, 10 were selected for analysis. Thus, this review highlights that the immunostimulating vaccine is an effective therapeutic resource, reducing healing time, symptoms and recurrence of lesions.