ALTERING CLINICAL-FEATURES OF RECURRENT HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS-INDUCED KERATITIS

We studied the alteration in the clinical features of herpes simplex v irus-induced keratitis (HSK) after the introduction of acyclovir (ACV) (in 1986). Over a nine-year period, this study investigated 101 patie nts (52 men and 49 women) whose conditions were diagnosed clinically a s HSK. In addition, HSK recurred in 48 (47.5%) of the 101 patients. Th e distribution of clinical types of primary HSK before 1985 did not di ffer from that after 1986. Recurrent HSK was significantly more freque nt in patients aged 26 to 40 years (75.0%). Although the five-year rec urrence rates in primary HSK treated with ACV were significantly lower than those in patients treated with idoxuridine, the recurrence frequ ency before 1985 was equal to that after 1986. The discordance of the decreased recurrence rate in ACV-treated patients and the high recurre nce frequency in patients with recurrent disease after the introductio n of ACV were considered to be the result of the incomplete inhibitory effect of this drug.