Herpes Zoster in children: Evaluation of the sixty cases

Abstract

Herpes Zoster (HZ), caused by the reactivation of the latent Varicella Zoster Virus infection is a disease that may rarely develop in childhood. HZ is considered to be a disease of adult, but recent reports show an increase in the number of cases in childhood. This study was designed to evaluate the demographic and clinical features of children with HZ. Data from patients under 18 years of age that were diagnosed with HZ at two different dermatology outpatient clinics were retrospectively evaluated between October 2012 and December 2018. Out of 60 cases enrolled in the study, 37 were male and 23 were female. The mean age of patients was 8 ± 4.93 years. Of all the cases, 46 had a history of chickenpox. Three patients had been vaccinated against chickenpox. Itching, observed in 48 subjects, was the most common symptom, while 38 subjects complained of pain. Acyclovir was prescribed as antiviral therapy in 33 cases. None of the cases showed any complication. HZ may occur in healthy children without any immunosuppression, too. Pain in children is less common than in adults whereas, itching is more frequent. Complications are rare in these subjects.

Herpes Zoster in an Immunocompetent Child without a History of Varicella

“…Our patient was a 7-year-old boy with HZ involvement around right L3 and L4 dermatomes, which does not correspond with the previous finding that patients under 10 years old are more likely to present HZ in cervical, sacral, and trigeminal dermatomes [ 6 ]. The serologic test of our patient showed a positive-IgG result and a gray zone (1.01) result of IgM (<0.8 as negative, >1.1 as positive).…”

“…On the other hand, while the reactivation of latent VZV, causing HZ, is more common in adults than in pediatric patients, their respective symptoms have slight differences. Whereas pain in dermatomal distribution is mostly complained about by adults with HZ, itching, followed by pain, fever, and weakness, is the most common symptom in children with HZ [ 6 ].…”

“…There was no distinct connection between the vaccine injection site and the cutaneous lesions of HZ. However, a retrospective study, conducted by Aktas et al, demonstrated that HZ in children younger than 10 years old was more frequently involved with cervical, trigeminal, and sacral dermatomes, while HZ in older children showed a tendency to present thoracic or lumbar involvement [ 6 ].…”

Herpes zoster in an immunocompetent infant with a history of varicella in early infancy and after a minor injury - case report and literature review

“…The most frequent skin localization of HZ in children is thoracic dermatomes [17,18,19], as it was in our patient. Classical clinical presentation of HZ in an immunocompetent child includes the appearance of papules and vesicles within one, rarely two adjacent dermatomes.…”

Herpes zóster. Actualización y manejo

“…La incidencia de HZ en la niñez varía entre 0,2 y 0,74 casos cada 1000 niños por año. Puede ocurrir en aquellos que tuvieron varicela o, de forma menos frecuente, en los que fueron vacunados, dado que se trata de una vacuna elaborada con virus vivos [14][15][16] . En los niños, el síntoma más común es el prurito.…”