scholarly journals Estudo Clínico-Epidemiológico da Infeção Complicada por Vírus Varicela-Zoster na Idade Pediátrica

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Maia ◽  
Jacinta Fonseca ◽  
Isabel Carvalho ◽  
Helena Santos ◽  
Diana Moreira

<strong>Introduction:</strong> In Portugal, the incidence of complicated infection by varicella-zoster virus is unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of complicated infection by varicella-zoster virus in children.<br /><strong>Material and Methods:</strong> Retrospective review of the clinical files of patients admitted between January 1999 and July 2013, with a diagnosis of complicated varicella-zoster virus infection.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> Ninety-four patients were hospitalized with complicated varicella-zoster virus infection, two of them by reactivation of latent infection. The median age was 38 (IQR 18 - 65) months. The most frequent types of complications were bacterial overinfection of the skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue (37.2%) and respiratory complications (24.5%). Other complications were neurologic complications (19.1%), gastrointestinal (9.6%), hematologic (5.3%) and osteoarticular (4.3%). In 38 patients invasive bacterial infections were diagnosed, with bacteremia in 6 patients. The median age was highest in the immunological complications compared with infectious complications. Neurological complications occurred mainly in healthy children, while infectious complications, including the invasive bacterial infections were more frequent in patients treated with ibuprofen and/or corticosteroids. The evolution was favorable in most cases.<br /><strong>Discussion:</strong> The complications of varicella-zoster virus infection occurred mainly in pre-school age and in healthy children. Infectious complications, particularly respiratory complications and bacterial overinfection of the skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue, were the most frequent. There was association between infectious complications and previous therapy with ibuprofen and / or corticosteroids.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Multicenter studies should be planned in order to optimize and adjust the vaccine strategies to our reality.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Lotte Møller Smedegaard ◽  
Claus Bohn Christiansen ◽  
Linea Cecilie Melchior ◽  
Anja Poulsen

Introduction. Chickenpox is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV). Although predominantly a mild disease, it can cause considerable morbidity and in rare occasions even mortality in healthy children as well as increased morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. The aetiology of appendicitis is largely unknown but is thought to be multifactorial. Appendicitis is a suspected, but not well documented, complication from varicella zoster virus infection. Case Presentation. A five-year-old girl diagnosed with DiGeorge syndrome and a prolonged primary VZV infection was admitted due to abdominal pain, increasing diarrhoea, vomiting, and poor general condition. She developed perforated appendicitis and an intraperitoneal abscess. VZV DNA was detected by PCR in two samples from the appendix and pus from the abdomen, respectively. The child was treated with acyclovir and antibiotics and the abscess was drained twice. She was discharged two weeks after referral with no sequela. Conclusion. Abdominal pain in children with viral infections can be a challenge, and appendicitis has to be considered as a complication to acute viral diseases, especially if the child is immunocompromised.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara M. Watson ◽  
Sharon A. Piercy ◽  
Stanley A. Plotkin ◽  
Stuart E. Starr

Oka/Merck varicella vaccine has been studied in this institution since 1981. Persistence of antibody for 6 to 8 years has been demonstrated; however, cases of chickenpox have been seen in immunized children. The severity of chickenpox in healthy children who have received Oka/Merck varicella vaccine since 1981 is described. All vaccinees who developed chickenpox-like rashes more than 6 weeks postimmunization were exammined. Of 2163 vaccinees, 164 were examined, of whom 114 had rashes consistent with chickenpox. When sera were available (46%), antibody studies uniformly confirmed varicella-zoster virus infection. Chickenpox occurred 2 to 96 months (median of 44 months) postimmunization. The range for the number of skin lesions was 1 to 285 (median 18) in seroconverters. Symptoms included itching in 39%, fever in 9%, headaches in 7%, lymphadenopathy in 3%, and malaise in 2%; 54% were asymptomatic, except for the rash. The median time to total healing was 5 days. The median time lost from school was 2 days. Thirteen of the children in whom infections developed had failed to seroconvert after immunization. Their infections were similar in severity to those of children who had seroconverted originally. When varicella was introduced into families as a result of chickenpox in an immunized family member (index case), the rate of secondary chickenpox among immunized siblings was 12.2%. Eleven such secondary cases were similar in severity to the 9 index cases. It is concluded that chickenpox is generally mild in previously immunized children.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e1003512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Goodwin ◽  
Maureen McCarthy ◽  
Nikolaus Osterrieder ◽  
Randall J. Cohrs ◽  
Benedikt B. Kaufer

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