CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old man with a history of VZV presented with a 6-month history of chest pain, flulike symptoms, and left-sided headaches. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Fatigue

  […] nausea, vomiting 35-800 mg tabs; $70 valacyclovir 2-18 years old; 20 mg/kg 3x/day; max. 1g 3x/day; 5 days 2 1 g 3x/day; 7 days 2 headache, nausea, abdominal pain 21-1 g tabs; $220 famciclovir not established 500 mg 3x/day 3 ; 7 days 2 headache, nausea, fatigue [antimicrobe.org]

• Hoarseness

  We present a case of VZV infection of the pharynx and larynx with multiple cranial nerve (CN) neuropathies (CN VII, VIII, IX, and X) of a 52-year-old woman who complained of the sudden onset of hoarseness, odynophagia, dysphagia, and hearing loss in the [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Liver Dysfunction

  VZV infection should be considered in patients with unexplained liver dysfunction under severe immunosuppressive condition, even in the absence of viral exposure and skin involvement. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Monoarthritis of the Knee

  We present the case of a 27-year-old female patient with monoarthritis of the knee associated with clinical symptoms typical of varicella. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Retinal Pigmentation

  KEYWORDS: ARPE-19; RPE (retinal pigment epithelium); VZV; inflammation; viral uveitis [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Diplopia

  We describe the case of a patient with VZV infection presenting as isolated diplopia due to fourth cranial nerve palsy. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Eczema

  Two patients had disseminated infection without a vesicular stage; one patient had underlying asteatotic eczema. All responded well to acyclovir. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Headache

  Author information 1 Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taiwan. [email protected] Abstract A nummular headache (NH) is a type of primary headache that results from cranial [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

  There was no headache, petechiae or neck stiffness, and no lumbar puncture was performed. [scholarlypages.org]

  Society, California Medical Association, California Neurology Society, International Headache Society, San Francisco Medical Society, San Francisco Neurological Society Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. [emedicine.medscape.com]

  Common adverse effects of VariZIG include reactions at the injection site and headaches. The recommended dose of VariZIG is 125 IU/10 kg of body weight (≤625 IU). [uspharmacist.com]

• Mild Cognitive Impairment

  To further assess the cognitive dysfunction caused by neurological VZV infection, patients were classified into the concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is associated with development of dementia in other pathologies. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[…] acyclovir-resistant VZV, detections of mutations in thymidine kinase can be determined by PCR and sequence analysis MRI may be useful if myelitis or encephalitis is suspected Lumbar puncture may be helpful if signs suggest myelitis or encephalitis See Workup [emedicine.medscape.com]

• White Matter Lesions

  Both children presented with focal epileptic seizures, corresponding to cortical/subcortical as well as white matter lesions. The first showed a typical vesicular skin rash. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection involving the posterior segment of the eye after fludarabine treatment has not previously been described. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

What should you tell the family about the patient's prognosis? The most common complication of chickenpox is secondary skin infection, usually with a Gram-positive organism. Rarer complications include infection of the central nervous system (CNS). [infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com]

Several concomitant external calvarial lesions were identified, and imaging was concerning for an infectious or neoplastic etiology. The patient underwent surgical debridement, and pathologic samples identified coinfection with P. acnes and VZV. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Identifying varicella-zoster virus as the etiology of CNS involvement can be challenging especially in the setting of no preceding rash. [medlink.com]

J Immunol May 1, 2016, 196 (1 Supplement) 217.33; Abstract Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is the etiological agent of shingles, a painful skin rash that affects a significant proportion of the elderly population. [jimmunol.org]

Results show that the overall epidemiology of varicella and zoster is remarkably similar between the two countries. [researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk]

The policy of universal vaccination of susceptible children and adults has had a profound effect on the epidemiology of varicella. [nejm.org]

The sero-epidemiological profile in Italy is different from that in other European countries. [bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com]

The diagnosis was reached by clinical, epidemiological and serological means. The second patient was a 13-year-old boy with EM which was followed 2 weeks later by Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

The impact of the varicella vaccination program on herpes zoster epidemiology in the United States: a review. J Infect Dis 2008;197(Suppl 2):S224–S227. [health.gov.au]

In this narrative review we focus on the pathophysiology of VZV infection and the role of TNF, and report the available data about VZV outbreaks recorded on Registries of rheumatic patients treated with anti-TNF agents. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Historically, children between the ages of 1 and 4 years accounted for 39% of cases, while children aged 5 to 9 years and adults ≥20 years accounted for 38% and 7%, respectively (National Health Interview Survey data, 1990-1994). 5 Transmission and Pathophysiology [uspharmacist.com]

Pathophysiology The host immunologic mechanisms suppress replication of the virus. Reactivation can occur if host immune mechanisms are compromised. [emedicine.medscape.com]

Prevention is paramount to management. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Prevention is paramount to management. Test your knowledge on chicken pox and pregnancy with MD-IQ: the medical intelligence quiz. Click here to answer 5 questions. [mdedge.com]

Prevention and Prophylaxis Varicella Vaccine: Varivax (Merck & Co., Inc.), a single-agent vaccine containing a live, attenuated (Oka strain) virus, is recommended to prevent varicella infection in healthy persons >12 months of age who do not have any [uspharmacist.com]