Comparison of topical acyclovir and penciclovir in recurrent herpes labialis treatment

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of acyclovir and penciclovir creams in the treatment of recurrent herpes labialis. Materials and Methods: Seventy patients with pre-diagnosed recurrent herpes labialis lesions were enrolled in this study. Diagnosis was confirmed with HSV-1 IgM antibody test. Patients were separated under 2 treatment groups as acyclovir and penciclovir cream. Both agents were applied until complete healing of the lesions was seen. Burning, itching and bleeding scores; time of erythema, vesicles, ulceration, crusting and crust loss of the lesions were recorded. Pain values of the patients were recorded using a visual analog scale (VAS) and DASS-21 scale was used to measure emotional state related to depression, anxiety and stress. Results: Pain level in the acyclovir group was significantly lower than the penciclovir group in the 3rd day, though with no difference in the following days. DASS-21 scores revealed signs of depression on 62.8% of the patients, anxiety on 34.2% of the patients, and stress on 41.4% of the patients in moderate or higher levels. While the pain level was higher in patients with high anxiety severity, it was observed that the pain level was low in patients with high stress intensity. Conclusion: Although it is not possible to cure recurrent herpes labialis completely, any methods and drugs that shorten the healing time of the lesion and reduce pain and discomfort gains importance. Our study showed that acyclovir is superior in reducing pain.