Does circumcision influence recurrences in herpes genitalis?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The effect of therapeutic circumcision in men for preventing recurrences of herpes genitalis remains largely unelucidated despite its well documented albeit conflicting role in reducing the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections, including genital herpes. METHODS Twenty volunteer adult males with a history of recurrent herpes genitalis were included in the study after informed consent and circumcision was carried out. Twenty more adult males having recurrent herpes genitalis and registered in the clinic during the same period were selected as controls. All patients and controls were followed-up for recurrences of herpes genitalis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Six patients and six controls did not follow-up. Seven patients reported no recurrences during 3-18 years, seven patients had two to six recurrences during 11-27 years of postcircumcision follow-up, 0.0080 (average) recurrences per person per year as compared with 0.20 (average) recurrences per person per year recorded before the circumcision. Two patients had first recurrence 11 years after the circumcision. In comparison, 14 controls had 0.17 (average) recurrences per person per year, comparable with the number of recurrences in uncircumcised patients, and frequently at shorter intervals. Despite being a small study, the circumcision appears to reduce the number of recurrences on an average and evidently prolongs the disease-free period in between two recurrences.