CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CHRONIC HERPETIC STOMATITIS IN BREASTFEEDING WOMEN

Chronic herpetic stomatitis (CHS) is a common recurrent viral disease of the oral mucosa characterized by persistent inflammation and frequent relapses. In breastfeeding women, the clinical course of CHS demonstrates specific features associated with postpartum immune modulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical manifestations and immunological characteristics of chronic herpetic stomatitis in breastfeeding women. Severity of oral mucosal inflammation, frequency of relapses, viral activity, and parameters of humoral and cellular immunity were assessed using clinical indices, real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and lymphocyte phenotyping. The results revealed pronounced inflammatory changes, high prevalence of active herpes simplex virus replication, decreased mucosal immune protection, and dysregulation of cellular immune responses in breastfeeding women with CHS. These findings highlight the central role of immune imbalance in disease persistence and support the necessity of an integrated clinical and immunological approach to diagnosis and management of chronic herpetic stomatitis during lactation.