Case Report: Disseminated herpes Zoster, in an immunocompetent elderly patient

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Disseminated cutaneous Herpes Zoster is defined as the presence of more than 20 vesicles outside the area and adjacencies of the primarily affected dermatome, the involvement of more than 2 contiguous dermatomes or the presence of systemic disease. Its prevalence among immunodepressed patients is 10- 40%, but between immunocompetent patients only isolated cases are reported. We present a case of an elderly immunocompetent patient, with no pathological history, that developed HZCD. CASE REPORT: An 89 year old woman, with no medical background, presented with 10 day evolution itchy, painful blistering lesions on the inner right thigh and the proximal third of the ipsilateral leg. Days after the lesions disseminated and the patient received topical treatment, she couldn’t specify the treatment; after 3 days her general condition worsened, and she was brought to the Emergency Room. EVOlUTION: Patient was diagnosed with Disseminated Herpes Zoster. She had a good outcome, after completing the intravenous antiviral treatment and she was discharged with no complications, after 10 days of being hospitalized. CONClUSION: Diagnosis of disseminated herpes zoster should be considered in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. The outcome strongly depends on the promptness of the specific therapy instauration. KEYWORDS: HERPES ZOSTER, SKIN DISEASES, VESICULOBULLOUS, ANTIVIRAL AGENTS