Immunosuppressed patients may develop an aggressive or chronic form of herpes infection; therefore, herpes simplex infection should be included in the differential diagnosis when immunosuppressed patients develop chronic oral
ulcers. The chronic form of herpes is a variation of recurrent herpes simplex infection rather than a primary infection.AIDS patients, transplant patients taking immunosuppressed drug therapy, patients on high doses of corticosteroids, and patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or other disorders that alter the T-lymphocyte response are those most susceptible to aggressive HSV lesions.
Lesions appear on the skin or the mucosa of the mouth, rectal, or genital area. They begin as an ordinary recurrent herpes infection but remain for weeks to months and develop into large ulcers up to several centimeters in diameter (Figure 4-42). Chronic herpes simplex infection has been reported with both type 1 and type 2 herpesviruses. This disease causes significant local morbidity and occasional dissemination.
Lesions appear on the skin or the mucosa of the mouth, rectal, or genital area. They begin as an ordinary recurrent herpes infection but remain for weeks to months and develop into large ulcers up to several centimeters in diameter (Figure 4-42). Chronic herpes simplex infection has been reported with both type 1 and type 2 herpesviruses. This disease causes significant local morbidity and occasional dissemination.