Febbre e gengivostomatite: non è sempre solo herpes simplex

Abstract

Gingivostomatitis is a clinical condition frequently diagnosed by the family paediatrician and it generally shows a viral aetiology. In particular, primary herpes simplex infection is the most frequent cause of gingivostomatitis in toddlers and it typically presents with fever and gingival/oral inflammation and ulcerations. Besides, gingivostomatitis and fever can be present at the onset of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a rare type of childhood cancer with an incidence of 7 cases per 1 million children < 15 years. This paper describes the case of a 3-year-old boy who presented with fever and gingivostomatitis initially misdiagnosed as a primary herpetic infection, while it turned out to be a clinical onset of an AML with hyperleukocytosis, a condition at high-risk of mortality.