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Iron metabolism markers and haptoglobin phenotypes in susceptibility to HSV‐1 or/and HSV‐2 lesion relapses

Different haptoglobin (Hp) phenotypes play a role in several pathologic processes including infectious diseases. In order to evaluate the role of iron storage and metabolism in susceptibility to herpetic manifestations, we studied the frequency of the Hp phenotypes and iron metabolism in patients affected by H. Simplex virus 1 or 2 (HSV‐1 or HSV‐2), compared with controls. Hp phenotype and iron metabolism were determined in 100 patients with recurrent HSV‐1 or HSV‐2 manifestations during the relapses, and in 110 healthy subjects. The frequencies of the three Hp phenotypes in the patient group compared to the control group were 18% versus 14.5% p = NS for Hp 1.1, 25% versus 40% p = 0.03 for Hp 2.2 and 57% versus 45.5% p = NS for Hp 2.1. All iron metabolism parameters tested showed significant differences between patients and controls; haemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, and serum iron were lower, while transferrin was higher in the patients than in controls. Reductions in iron availability may be a risk factor for relapsing lesions of HSV‐1 or HSV‐2. Hp 2.2 phenotype may offer some protection against the recurrence of Herpes labialis or genitalis manifestations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.