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Patients with disseminated herpes
zoster may present with severe abdominal pain that results from
visceral involement of varicella-zoster-virus Infection. in the
absence of cutaneous eruptions of herpes zoster, visceral herpes
zoster is extremely difficult to diagnose. This diagnostic
diffisulty has the potential to cause devastating delays in
treatment.
we report a case series of four
patients with visceral herpes zoster in whom large concentrations of
DNA from varicella zoster virus were detectable in blood by PCR
before signs of infection appeared on the skin, thus enabling early
diagnosis and treatment.
THE LANCENT .
VOL 357. JUNE 30,2001
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