Herpes zoster following COVID-19: a report of three cases

Brambilla, Lucia; Maronese, Carlo Alberto; Tourlaki, Athanasia; Veraldi, Stefano

doi:10.1684/ejd.2020.3924

Cited by 29 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Cases included both genders and were reported worldwide, including Europe (Italy, Spain), Asia (Saudi Arabia, China, India), Africa (Egypt), North America (United States) and South America (Brazil) [ 6 – 17 ]. There were cases with known risk factors for HZ, which included age > 50 years ( n = 18), immunosuppressive therapies/immunomodulators ( n = 2) and diabetes mellitus ( n = 3) [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 13 – 17 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In most cases, HZ had a typical presentation with lesions on the face [including herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO)], trunk, hips/buttocks or inguinal region. There were two cases of multi-dermatomal involvement, and three cases had necrotic features in otherwise healthy individuals [ 5 , 17 ]. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) was reported in one case [ 11 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lymphopenia (or relative lymphopenia) was reported in several cases, including those with (1) multi-dermatomal involvement, (2) necrotic features or (3) HZ occurring 8–10 weeks following COVID-19 diagnosis [ 5 , 11 , 16 , 17 ]. A low CD4 + /CD8 + ratio was reported in two cases and an increased interleukin (IL)-6 level in one case [ 5 , 17 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there have been several reports and short summaries on cases of HZ in patients with COVID-19, to our knowledge there is no comprehensive review on this subject [ 4 , 5 ]. We have undertaken the current study to raise awareness among practitioners and researchers about the possible association of COVID-19 and HZ by summarizing case reports since the pandemic onset, elaborating a possible biological basis related to how COVID-19 may trigger HZ and provide an assessment of the increased risk of HZ in patients with COVID-19 based on available evidence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Can COVID-19 Increase the Risk of Herpes Zoster? A Narrative Review

Díez-Domingo

Parikh

Bhavsar

et al. 2021

Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Herpes zoster (HZ) is associated with substantial morbidity. It is caused by reactivation of the latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) following decline in cell-mediated immunity, which is commonly age-related, but also occurs in individuals with immunosuppressive diseases and/ or treatment. Since coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has been associated with T cell immune dysfunction and there have been reports of HZ in COVID-19 patients, we have performed a review of available literature on whether COVID-19 could trigger HZ. We identified 27 cases of HZ following COVID-19, which most frequently occurred within 1-2 weeks of COVID-19, and the majority of cases had typical presentation. Atypical presentations of HZ were noted especially in patients with lymphopenia. It has been hypothesized that VZV reactivation occurs as a consequence of T cell dysfunction (including lymphopenia and lymphocyte exhaustion) in COVID-19 patients. Based on current evidence, which is limited to case reports and case series, it is not possible to determine whether COVID-19 increases the risk of HZ. Practitioners should be aware of the possible increased risk of HZ during the pandemic period and consider timely therapeutic and preventive measures against it.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Can COVID-19 Increase the Risk of Herpes Zoster? A Narrative Review

Díez-Domingo

Parikh

Bhavsar

et al. 2021

Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 It was demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 induces reactivation of other viruses, such as HHV-6, HHV-7, varicella zoster virus, and EBV. 1,4,6,7 In a Turkish study, 4 it was observed that the number of patients with PR and Kawasaki disease increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors put forward the hypothesis that this increase was related to HHV-6 reactivation by COVID-19.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pityriasis rosea and COVID‐19

Veraldi

Spigariolo

2020

Journal of Medical Virology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Case of atypical disseminated herpes zoster in a patient with COVID‐19: A diagnostic challenge in COVID era

Mohaghegh

Hatami

Aryanian

2022

Clinical Case Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Herpes Zoster caused by reactivation of latent Varicella–Zoster virus (VZV). The rare disseminated form of it occurred mainly in immunocompromised patients. We hereby present the first case of atypical disseminated herpes zoster in a 54‐year‐old woman admitted with serious COVID. In this case, disseminated herpes zoster developed by purpuric lesions mimicking vasculitis and cutaneous drug reaction. Hence, this case serves as a reminder for considering atypical presentations of cutaneous disorders in immunocompromised patients, especially those affected with severe COVID.

show abstract

Herpes zoster following COVID-19: a report of three cases

Cited by 29 publications

References 8 publications

Can COVID-19 Increase the Risk of Herpes Zoster? A Narrative Review

Can COVID-19 Increase the Risk of Herpes Zoster? A Narrative Review

Pityriasis rosea and COVID‐19

Case of atypical disseminated herpes zoster in a patient with COVID‐19: A diagnostic challenge in COVID era

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About