What is herpes during pregnancy and what are the causes of herpes during pregnancy?

What is herpes gestationis

1. Overview

It is a relatively rare autoimmune disease that occurs during pregnancy and postpartum period. The disease often presents as erythema multiforme, papules and herpes, and causes constant itching. In addition, it will recur during the next pregnancy. If a woman develops erythema, blisters, etc. on her limbs and abdomen during pregnancy, accompanied by itching, this disease should be considered. Diagnosis can be made by histopathology and immunofluorescence examination.

2. Onset time

The disease can occur any time from the 9th week of pregnancy to 1 week after delivery, but most cases occur during the 21st week of pregnancy. In addition, the onset of the disease during the second pregnancy will be earlier than the first pregnancy.

3. Site of disease

The rash often occurs on the extremities, especially the arms and feet, but may also occur on the anterior surface of the trunk, head, and face, but rarely on the oral mucosa and genital mucosa.

Causes of herpes gestationis

The cause of the disease is still unclear, but the following are known factors:

Not related to the virus: This type of herpes is closely linked to pregnancy, but it has nothing to do with the herpes virus.

· Autoimmune pathology: Some experts feel that this disease is closely related to herpes simplex virus. Some experts also believe that the disease in pregnant women is related to the husband's human leukocyte antigen, which causes the fetus to produce antibodies, and then produces a series of reactions with the pregnant woman's skin. The basis is:

1. Some sick women have low titers of anti-basement membrane antibodies in their sera.

2. Half of the patients have a heat-inlaborative pathogen in their serum, which is an IgG anti-basement membrane and carries antibodies that can carry complement C3 to the patient's epidermal basement membrane, thereby causing immune damage.

3. The disease enters the fetus through the placenta, and the disease factor can often be detected in the umbilical cord serum of babies born to pregnant women with the disease. Generally speaking, the fetus does not cause disease in the mother's womb. After birth, blisters may appear on the baby's skin, which will disappear naturally within a few weeks. About two months after the baby is born, the disease factor will gradually disappear from his body.