ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) is the hematologic neoplasia most commonly diagnosed in children. Among the secondary side effects of chemotherapy, mucositis is the most frequent complication. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of herpes viruses HSV-1, EBV, and CMV and the presence and severity of oral mucositis in children and adolescents diagnosed with ALL. METHODOLOGY: Ninety-two patients diagnosed with ALL were evaluated. Serum samples were collected before chemotherapy and tested by ELISA method. Presence of mucositis was observed on the first day before antineoplastic therapy (D0) and on 7th day post-therapy (D7). Classification of mucositis intensity was performed according to toxicity criteria established by the National Cancer Institute. RESULTS: 70.7% of the patients presented mucositis on the D7, and of these, 60% were classified as Grade I and 40% as Grade II; of the 92 individuals tested, 59 (64.1%) presented antibodies for HSV-1, 57 (62%) for EBV, 75 (81.5%) for CMV_IgG, and 21 (22.8%) for CMV_IgM. Using a logistic regression model, the presence of HSV-1 was observed to be 4.10 times greater in Grade II mucositis severity than in Grade I (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, it was possible to conclude that infection by the herpes viruses HSV-1, EBV, and CMV is ubiquitous in the studied population and that HSV-1 may be a risk factor for aggravating the severity of mucositis.
