SynthesisBMC infectious diseases2015
Effectiveness of topical corticosteroids in addition to antiviral therapy in the management of recurrent herpes labialis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC infectious diseases, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in management of recurrent herpes labialis: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2018Pooled it
- Therapeutic effects of acyclovir and acyclovir-clobetasol nanofibers vs. cream formulation for recurrent herpes labialis.BMC oral health · 2024Trial
- Viral microRNA inhibition enhances antiviral immunity by modulating corneal inflammatory and resolution pathways in HSV-1 induced keratitis.Experimental eye research · 2026Article
- Shingles-Like Cutaneous Manifestation of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in a Young Male Patient: A Case Report.Cureus · 2026Article
- Anxiety and Sun Exposure as Triggers for Herpes Labialis: A Case Report and Review of Literature.International medical case reports journal · 2025Article
- Article
- Reactivated herpetic gingivostomatitis with secondary herpes-associated erythema multiforme and oral candidiasis post-COVID infection: A case report.Clinical case reports · 2023Article
- Corticosteroids: A boon or bane for COVID-19 patients?Steroids · 2022Review
- Putative targeting by BX795 causes decrease in protein kinase C protein levels and inhibition of HSV1 infection.Antiviral research · 2022Article
- Treatment of herpes labialis by photodynamic therapy: Study protocol clinical trial (SPIRIT compliant).Medicine · 2020Article
- Comparing the effect of diode laser against acyclovir cream for the treatment of herpes labialis.Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry · 2017Article
- Prevalence of recurrent herpes labialis in Western Maharashtra.Journal of oral and maxillofacial pathology : JOMFPArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRecurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is one of the most common viral infections worldwide. The available treatments have limited efficacy in preventing the recurrence of ulcerative lesions and reducing the duration of illness. The objective of this review was to identify the effectiveness of topical corticosteroids in addition to antiviral therapy in the treatment of RHL infection.
methodsA systematic review of randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy of combined therapy (topical corticosteroids with antiviral) with placebo or antiviral alone in the management of RHL was conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, the Cochrane library, and Google Scholar databases were searched. We used RevMan software to conduct the meta-analysis. A fixed-effects model was used for mild to moderate heterogeneity, whereas a random-effects model was used for significant heterogeneity. Heterogeneity among trials was established using I(2) and chi-square test for heterogeneity.
resultsFour studies that fulfilled the selection criteria were included in this review. The total number of participants across included studies was 1,891 (range, 29 to 1,443). The antiviral drugs used were acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir. Corticosteroids used were 1% hydrocortisone and 0.05% fluocinonide. Pooled results showed that patients receiving combined therapy had a significantly lower recurrence rate of ulcerative lesions compared to those in both the placebo group (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.39-0.66; P < .001) and the antiviral treatment alone group (OR, 0.73, 95% CI, 0.58-0.92; P = .007). The healing time was also significantly shorter in combined therapy in comparison to placebo (P < .001). However, there were no significant differences in healing time between combined therapy and antiviral alone. The adverse reactions in combined therapy were not significantly different than the placebo group (OR, 1.09; 95% C, 0.75-1.59; P = .85).
conclusionTreatment with combined therapy is safe and more effective than placebo or antiviral alone for preventing the recurrence of ulcerative lesions in RHL infection.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.