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Varicella & Herpes Zoster
Varicella & Herpes Zoster
ZOSTER
Two diseases with different clinical manifestation
but caused by same virus
Etiology : Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV)
Family : Herpes virus
Primary infection Varicella (Chickenpox)
virus can remains latent in sensory ganglia
Herpes zoster : represents as reactivation of
this latent virus
COMPLICATION (contd)
Keratitis, conjunctivitis
Arthritis
Encephalitis
Congenital varicella occur if pregnant
women had varicella in 1st trimester:
low birth weight , cicatricial skin lesions
(keloid), muscle atrophy, chorioretinitis,
convulsions, mental retardation
HERPES ZOSTER
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Usually occur in adulthood, 5% in < 15 year
no difference in race, sex and season period
history of had varicella in the past or if not
may be ever had mild / sub-clinical disease
Reactivation can cause by repeated VZV
infection, physical trauma, X-ray therapy,
immunosuppressive drugs, malignancy
HERPES ZOSTER
PATHOGENESIS
Not fully understood
similar as recurrence of herpes simplex
virus infection
theory: during varicella infection, VZV from
skin or mucous membrane through
peripheric sensory nerves, centripetally go
to posterior or cranial nerve ganglion
PATHOGENESIS (contd)
HERPES ZOSTER
CLINICAL MANIFESTATION
Incubation period : 7 12 days
early symptoms: fever and neuralgic/
burning pain along involved dermatome
Skin lesions have different size
firstly erytheme macule -> papule -> vesicle
-> confluence to form bulla
HERPES ZOSTER
COMPLICATION
Post herpetic neuralgia
- incidence 10- 15%, seldom in childhood
- occur some weeks or months after skin
lesions disappeared
- common after Herpes Zoster Opthalmicus
(with other complications: keratitis,uveitis,
scleritis, chorioretinitis and optic neuritis)
COMPLICATION (contd)
Motor paralysis :
- incidence 1- 5%
- occur 2 weeks after skin eruption appear
- usually in muscle which innervated
across-side with involved dermatome
Meningoencephalitis
- incidence : 0.2 0.5 %
- occur during, before or after skin eruption
- most common in Cranial herpes zoster
and immunocompromized patients
HERPES ZOSTER
DIAGNOSIS
Anamnesis:
- history of varicella in the past
- exposure to varicella or herpes zoster
- Prodromal symptoms : fever and pain
Examination :
- Typical skin lesion
- regional lymphedenopathy
DIAGNOSIS (contd)
Laboratory :
- Tzanck smear : multinucleated giant cell
and typical epithelial cell with acidophilic
intranuclear inclusion bodies
* similar as herpes simplex virus (HSV)
- Virus isolation, differentiating both viruses
* VZV : local cytopathigenic effect
* HSV : diffuse cytopathogenic effect
HERPES ZOSTER
TREATMENT
Symptomatic
- Bed rest, analgesic
Topical antiseptic
2nd infection : topical / systemic antibiotics
Acyclovir
Systemic corticosteroid (prednison): acute
phase, particularly in adult with severe pain
HERPES ZOSTER
PREVENTION
Passive and active immunization
Susceptible and high risk person must be
protected to contact with herpes zoster
patients
PROGNOSIS
Normal individual : self limited disease
Bad prognosis in immunocompromized ones
5 countries; 1977 :
- 1979 :
zero country
2 countries