Psychosomatic Response of Patients With Recurrent Herpes Simplex Taking Into Account Their Personality Traits

Goal: to study the psychosomatic relations in patients with recurrent herpes simplex taking into account their psychogenic reactions and personality traits. Material and Methods. 107 patients with severe form of recurrent herpetic infection (RHI) were examined. The complex examination consisted of questionnaires and psychometric study. The psychometric study included identifying personality traits (SMOL), evidence of psychopathologic symptoms by Simptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and level of life quality by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The program «Statistica» was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results. The analysis revealed the characteristics of psychosomatic relations in the patients with recurrent herpes simplex: neurotic trait profile, whose development is promoted by the intensity of pain syndrome and high level of anxiety and depression, predominance of somatic anxiety in the evidence of the psychopathological symptomatology. Conclusion. The obtained data are basis for the development of psychotherapeutic effect to improve quality of life in patients with recurrent herpes simplex.