Eczema herpeticum in atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which is characteristically associated with intense pruritus and eczematous lesions. 1 Robert Willan, an English dermatologist, was the first to describe the disease in 1808. 2 In most countries, over 20% of children are affected at least once during a period of their lives. [3][4][5] Despite the fact that 85% of all cases manifest before the age of five, AD can occur lifelong and the prevalence of AD is still high in adulthood. 6-8 Surprisingly, recent data based on two birth cohorts revealed that only 38% of adult AD patients in the United Kingdom reported a childhood onset of symptoms. 9Patients suffering from AD are prone to viral and bacterial infections. 5 Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections are particularly common in AD patients, leading to superinfection. 10

A 1-Year-Old With an Atopic Dermatitis Flare

“…3 Eczema herpeticum exanthem is characterized by disseminated, nongrouped vesicular eruptions, typically affecting the head, neck, chest and arms. 4 The constitutional symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, and lymphadenopathy often accompany the rash. 4 An HSV PCR was performed to rule out eczema herpeticum.…”

“…4 The constitutional symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, and lymphadenopathy often accompany the rash. 4 An HSV PCR was performed to rule out eczema herpeticum. If the HSV result had been positive, acyclovir therapy would have been initiated.…”

The potential roles of interleukin-25 in infectious diseases

“…About 3% of the patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease in the world, are infected with HSV-1 and got eczema herpeticum (EH) (91). In addition to symptoms such as itching and soreness, HSV-1 infection poses a potentially life-threatening risk for AD patients (92). Previous study reported that the concentration of IL-25 in serum of AD patients was higher than control group (93), and IL-25 was involved in the pathogenesis of AD (94).…”

Skin Dialogues in Atopic Dermatitis

“…Approximately 20% of patients with AD develop eczema herpeticum, an acute, life-threatening viral infection caused by herpes simplex virus [ 90 ]. Recurrence was associated with an earlier onset of AD but not with total IgE serum levels.…”